Last reviewed: September 29, 2026

For most people it gets much better, but it does not always go away completely.

Pain drops sharply in the first three months after surgery, then keeps easing more slowly through the first year, and the improvement holds for ten years. Still, on average, people report some pain even at one year. In one study, most patients expected to be free of pain, but two years after surgery fewer than half were.

A smaller group is left with lasting, bothersome pain. Studies disagree on how many. For them, the pain still present at six months to a year tends to stay about the same. Often it has a nerve-type quality: burning, tingling or electric.

Lasting pain is more common in people with more knee pain before surgery, pain in other parts of the body, depression or poor mental health, a tendency to dwell on and fear pain, or severe pain in the first days after surgery. It is also more common in younger patients and in women. These are links from observational studies, not proof of cause.

Memory can mislead too. A year after surgery, many people remember inaccurately how bad the knee was beforehand, which can make the result seem better or worse than it is.

In general:

  • Expect the knee to feel much better, not necessarily perfect.
  • Burning or tingling pain is worth describing that way to your surgeon.
  • Low mood or strong worry about pain before surgery is worth raising with your physician.
  • Pain that is getting worse, or comes with swelling, warmth, redness or fever, needs to be seen promptly.

Drafted with AI assistance from published sources, reviewed and edited by Babak Sheikh, MD.

Sources:

  • Sayah SM, et al. Clinical Course of Pain and Function Following Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Systematic Review and Meta-Regression. J Arthroplasty. 2021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arth.2021.06.019
  • Cheng HY, et al. What Proportion of People Have Long-Term Pain After Total Hip or Knee Replacement? An Update of a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. BMJ Open. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2024-088975
  • Priol R, et al. Trajectory of Chronic and Neuropathic Pain, Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms and Pain Catastrophizing After Total Knee Replacement. Orthop Traumatol Surg Res. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.otsr.2022.103543
  • Lewis GN, et al. Predictors of Persistent Pain After Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Br J Anaesth. 2015. https://doi.org/10.1093/bja/aeu441
  • Ashoorion V, et al. Predictors of Persistent Post-Surgical Pain Following Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies. Pain Med. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1093/pm/pnac154
  • Mannion AF, et al. The Role of Patient Expectations in Predicting Outcome After Total Knee Arthroplasty. Arthritis Res Ther. 2009. https://doi.org/10.1186/ar2811
  • Murphy MT, et al. A Patient’s Recollection of Pre-Operative Status Is Not Accurate One Year After Arthroplasty of the Hip or Knee. Bone Joint J. 2015. https://doi.org/10.1302/0301-620X.97B8.35809

This is general information about what published research shows. It is not medical advice and it is not about your situation. Reading it does not create a doctor-patient relationship with me. I am a retired orthopedic surgeon and I do not see patients. Talk with your own doctor before changing anything about your care. If something feels suddenly or seriously wrong, get medical care promptly rather than waiting.

This page is provided as is. I make no guarantee that it is accurate, complete or current, and medical evidence changes. Use of it is at your own risk.

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