Despite well-fixed implants, persistent pain following total hip arthroplasty (THA) remains a concern. Various surgical approaches have been advocated, yet whether patient-reported pain differs amongst techniques has not been investigated. This study's purposes were to determine differences in patient-reported pain based on surgical approach (direct anterior –DA versus posterolateral-PL) or PL approach incision length. Our hypothesis was that no differences in patient-reported pain would be present. A retrospective, IRB-approved investigation from 2 centers was performed. 7 fellowship trained arthroplasty surgeons (3 DA, 3 PL, 1 both) enrolled patients undergoing primary THA for non-inflammatory arthritis. PL approach patients were categorized based on incision length (6–8cm, 8–12cm, 12–15cm). Exclusion criteria were a prior hip surgery, revision procedure, or limited postoperative mobility. All THAs were performed using a cementless titanium, proximally coated, tapered femoral stem and hemispherical acetabular component. All patients had a minimum of 1-year clinical follow-up with radiographically well-fixed components. A pain-drawing questionnaire was administered in which patients identify the location and intensity of pain on an anatomic diagram. Independent Student's t-tests and Chi-square analyses were performed (p<0.05 = significant). Power analysis indicated 800 patients in each cohort would provide adequate power to detect a 4% difference in patient-reported pain (alpha = 0.05, beta = 0.80).Introduction
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