Key Findings
In daily practice, patients with orthopaedic implants complain of implant pain and cold sensation in the implant area in cold weather. The aim of this study is to obtain clearer information by comparing the effect of cold weather on orthopaedic implants with warm weather. This study was registered with clinicaltrials.gov. In this prospective study, 210 patients with orthopaedic implants were included. Patients' complaints during cold weather (<8 °C) and warm weather (>25 °C), precautions taken against these complaints, range of motion (ROM), visual analogue score (VAS), and pain catastrophizing scale (PCS) scores were evaluated. Pain was detected in 59.5% of the patients in cold weather and 17.6% in warm weather. 32.4% of the patients had cold sensation/inability to warm up and 25.2% of the patients took preventive measures against these complaints. Implant type and gender did not affect the scores. Pain in cold weather is present in 60% of patients with post-traumatic orthopaedic implants. Implants in the lower extremities cause more limitations in patients compared to those in the upper extremities. However, these cold weather-related complaints do not affect functional scores and result in joint range of motion loss in only a limited number of patients. Cold weather–related discomfort is common in patients with orthopaedic implants but is rarely associated with major functional limitation.Lower extremity implants may be associated with greater cold sensitivity during colder seasons.Rehabilitation professionals should reassure patients that most cold-related implant complaints are subjective and not linked to significant range-of-motion loss.Patient education regarding environmental sensitivity may help reduce anxiety and pain catastrophizing.Awareness of these findings may help clinicians avoid unnecessary implant removal requests and maintain evidence-based rehabilitation strategies.
Why This Matters for Body-Mind Practice
[Draft — editorial context needed]
Source
- A myth: orthopedic implant pain in cold weather. — Disability and rehabilitation
