Activities of Daily Living and Quality of Life After Orthopaedic Surgery for Haemophilic Arthropathy: A Scoping Review

INTRODUCTION: Haemophilic arthropathy causes chronic pain and disability. While orthopaedic surgery aims to alleviate these, post-surgical activities of daily living (ADL) and quality of life (QOL) outcomes lack systematic review. AIM: To assess ADL and QOL outcomes after orthopaedic surgery for haemophilic arthropathy and identify research gaps. METHODS: This scoping review searched MEDLINE, Embase, CENTRAL, CINAHL, and PEDro for studies reporting ADL or QOL outcomes in patients undergoing lower-limb orthopaedic surgery for haemophilic arthropathy. Data were qualitatively synthesised. RESULTS: Sixteen studies were included, predominantly on total knee arthroplasty (n = 11). The SF-36 was widely used, whereas haemophilia-specific tools were rare. Despite heterogeneous designs, varied follow-ups, and inconsistent mental health results, most studies demonstrated significant post-surgical improvements in physical function and QOL. CONCLUSION: While standardised, disease-specific assessments are needed, this review confirms surgery consistently improves ADL and QOL. However, it should be noted that it is well known that, in a disease as rare as haemophilia, it is very difficult to conduct Level I evidence studies on orthopaedic surgery (prospective, double-blind, randomized trials). In fact, this study confirms what was already well known empirically: that orthopaedic surgery is effective in relieving or eliminating joint pain thereby improving the QOL for patients with advanced haemophilic arthropathy who have not responded to non-surgical treatment.