A Study on Experiences of Total Knee Replacement in Patients with Osteoarthritis

골관절염 환자의 슬관절 전치환술 경험

This study was performed to analyze the patient's experience during the progress of disease in the patients with osteoarthritis, who are taken the replacement surgery of knee Joint. The examine was consisted of five patients with osteoarthritis, who are taken the replacement surgery of knee joint from Dec. 4. 1995 to May, 20, 1996 at C university hospital. After hospitalization, the physical and psycho-logical status of the patients during preoperation, postoperation and discharge was examined. The data were examined according to the ethnographic method. The results are as follows. The patients experienced the periods of embarrasment, conflict, before surgery suffering, acceptance period after surgery. In the embarrasment period, the patients take a multiple medication therapy including hospital treatment, oriental medication and folk medication to ameliorate joint pain after first diagnosis on arthritis. The embarrasment period includes compulsive drug medication, oriental medication, folk medication, trouble some, sadness and survey of hospitals. In the conflict period, the patients consider the operation of knee because of working difficulty and severe Joint Pain, while they feel anxiety about the surgery. They condemn their physical situations. They have the conflict and anxiety on surgical operation. they consider the quality of life. They hope the surgery makes patients to improve walking ability. This period includes self-condemned, sorry, tiresomeness, expectation, worrisomeness, anxiety and hesitance. In the suffering period, the patients experience post operation physical discomfort after the total knee replacement. They do physical exercise, including extension and straight leg raising to maintain walking ability, while they endure to wait approximately 6 months for normal walking movements and they are also unstable to environmental people's sight. This period includes postoperative pain, continuous discomfort, inability and communication difficulty to other's people. In the acceptance period, the patients consider longerity of artificial Joint and also endure mild remaining joint pain. Some of them have religions for their wellbeing of life. This period include a self-protesting policy, abandonment, self-consolation, dependence on religions. According to the result from this study I suggested these shown below. 1) After replacement surgery of knee joint, continuous investigation on outcome patient is necessary. 2) It is also necessary to analyze on patient's experiences, who are taken the replacement surgery of hip Joint. 3) Study on disease experiences of patients with rhematoid arthritis, who take drug medication and physical therapy alone without surgery, is necessary. 4) Investigation on patient's favorable folk medication may be helpful to analyze disease experience of patients with osteoarthritis.