Background
Weight loss after bariatric surgery is shown to reduce knee and hip pain in the majority of the severely obese. Studies indicate that with a reduction in musculoskeletal symptoms, quality of life (QoL) will improve. The group of severely obese with knee and hip symptoms might therefore have potential for a large improvement in QoL after a bariatric surgery. This study aimed therefore to assess the association between the degree of knee and hip symptoms before a laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB) and the improvement of QoL, 1 year after the surgery, in severely obese.
Methods
This study is a historical cohort study based on data collected consecutively at the private hospital Mølholm, Denmark. Before LRYGB surgery, 4548 severely obese completed a questionnaire on knee and hip symptoms of obesity and QoL. One year after surgery, 2862 (62.9 %) of the participants answered the same questionnaire again.
Results
Participants with moderate or severe knee or hip symptoms, before the surgery, experienced a statistically significantly larger improvement of their QoL, compared to participants without symptoms before the surgery. Furthermore, an association between the reduction of knee and hip symptoms and the improvement in QoL was found.
Conclusions
Severely obese with moderate or severe preoperative knee and hip symptoms experienced a larger improvement of their QoL after a LRYGB compared to participants without symptoms before the operation.