The effect of abdominoplasty operation on pain and quality of life in knee osteoartritis patients

Abdominoplasty operation is one of the most frequently performed aesthetic surgeries by plastic surgeons. The presence of excess abdominal skin tissue and fat tissue in patients increases the burden on the knee area of the patients. Over time, this burden causes uncomfortable pain in the knee area of the patients. Patients lose weight to get rid of this situation they are trying to lose weight by using bariatric surgery, diet and medication. As a result, patients who cannot lose weight need physical therapy due to knee pain. Patients who cannot get results from physical therapy apply to hospitals for orthopedic surgery. In this study, we investigated pre- and postoperative knee pain and its effects on quality of life of 30 abdominoplasty patients with OA. Since there will be a significant improvement in the quality of life of the patients, the patients will get rid of both physical and psychological disorders. Thus, the orthopedic surgery requirements of the patients with reduced pain complaints will decrease to that extent. The patients participatin in the study were analyzed retrospectively. A questionnaire study was conducted with the patients. The patients were evaluated with VAS score, WOMAC osteoarthritis index and EUROQL general quality of life scales. With these evaluations,a decrease in the VAS scores of the patients after abdominoplasty and improvement in WOMAC values were statistically significant.And as a result,it was observed that the quality of life of the patients increased. KEYWORDS: Abdominal Hypertrophy, Knee Pain, Osteoarthritis