Body-Self Unity With a New Hip or Knee: Understanding Total Joint Replacement Within an Embodiment Framework

Emma C Lape; Pamela Hudak; Aileen M Davis; Jeffrey N Katz

doi:10.1002/acr2.1014

Body-Self Unity With a New Hip or Knee: Understanding Total Joint Replacement Within an Embodiment Framework

ACR Open Rheumatol. 2019 Mar 30;1(2):90-96. doi: 10.1002/acr2.1014. eCollection 2019 Apr.

Authors

Emma C Lape¹, Pamela Hudak², Aileen M Davis³, Jeffrey N Katz⁴

Affiliations

¹ Brigham and Women's Hospital Boston Massachusetts.
² Alternative Dispute Resolution Practice, Inc. Toronto Canada.
³ Krembil Research Institute University Health Network and University of Toronto Toronto Canada.
⁴ Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital Boston Massachusetts.

Abstract

Medical research increasingly makes use of embodiment concepts to understand how illness disrupts unity of body and self. However, few have applied embodiment concepts in total joint replacement (TJR), an effective treatment for end-stage arthritis. In considering why a troubling proportion of TJR recipients have continued pain and functional limitation, we ask: what role might be played by the embodied experience of living with an implant? Relevant theoretical models and prior research on embodiment in musculoskeletal health and transplantation are reviewed. Our findings suggest a research agenda with implications for addressing suboptimal outcomes in TJR.

Keywords: embodiment; prosthetic joint; surgical outcomes; total joint replacement.

Publication types

Review