The rate of satisfaction after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is consistently reported around 80%, leaving one in five patients unsatisfied to some extent. Fulfillment of expectations is reported as the strongest predictor of treatment satisfaction. In this study, we aimed to evaluate what Dutch orthopedic surgeons assume are realistic expectations for recovery 1 year after TKA. We invited the members of the Dutch Knee Society (DKS) to fill out a web-based questionnaire. For expectation measurement, the validated Dutch version of the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) knee replacement expectations survey was used. A total of 150 invitations were successfully sent; 84 orthopedic surgeons responded (56%). The overall HSS knee replacement expectation score was 66.0 (standard deviation, 14.0) on a 0 to 100 scale. Most improvement was predicted for the items "pain relief" and "walking short distances." Expectations related to patients' ability to kneel or squat after TKA were scored poorly. To the opinion of the members of the DKS, after TKA improvement can be expected in domains of pain, function, activities, and psychological wellbeing. Return to normal is not likely to occur, especially in demanding physical activities.
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