@drkerbel
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@drkerbel You’ve probably prepared everything for your knee replacement. You picked your surgeon, you’ve got your physical therapy lined up, you’ve planned the time off. All of that matters enormously, but none of it is actually in your control. There’s one thing that is. And almost nobody prepares it. When researchers looked at who was still in pain a year after surgery, they found that one of the strongest predictors of outcome had NOTHING to do with any of those things... It’s the STATE OF MIND you went into surgery with. Your stress levels, how you handle pain, your general mental health. In a review of about thirty thousand patients, that sat near the top of the list. Patients who go into surgery carrying a lot of distress report more pain and worse function a year later. Even when the operation went perfectly. This is why I talk about mindset as much as I talk about surgery. It’s not fluff. It’s actually evidence-based advice that will help you succeed. What’s really amazing about it is that this part is ENTIRELY in your control. You don’t need to rely on a surgeon, a hospital, or any other external factor. You are the one in control. To be clear, I’m not saying the pain is in your head. I’m saying that in the weeks before surgery, you should spend as much time focusing on your mental health as you do on your knee. Sort out your sleep, line up your support, and deal with the anxiety and depression head-on instead of white-knuckling it. You can already begin working on this BEFORE your surgery ever takes place, and it’s going to make your outcome BETTER. Walk in on the day of surgery with your mental health better than it’s ever been. Take time to get your mindset and your psychology into a state of OPTIMISM and EMPOWERMENT. It will show up in your results. And if you want to hear more evidence-based things that nobody talks about that will help you get a better outcome after your knee or hip replacement, sign up for my weekly joint health newsletter. Comment NEWSLETTER and I’ll send you the sign-up link. Study: Lewis et al. “Predictors of persistent pain after total knee arthroplasty: a systematic review and meta-analysis.”
