Lessons from the other side of the knife.

The overall success or failure of knee arthroplasty is predicated on the successful combination of patient selection, meticulous surgical technique, and prosthetic design. Discussions regarding the outcome of knee arthroplasty frequently focus on the implants used and the surgical technique employed, with a less frequent focus on patient profile. However, the patient experience was further highlighted to me when I became the patient and experienced the consequences of knee arthroplasty firsthand. This experience offered me a greater insight into patient expectations, the importance of preoperative counseling, the severity of perioperative pain, and the issues involved in the rehabilitative period. Joint arthroplasty outcomes are dependent on the harmony existing between the patient's perioperative status, expectation level, motivational status, physician diagnostic and surgical skill, and the design characteristics of the prosthesis. Copyright 2003 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.