Multiple operations in the rehabilitation of patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

There is often a need for multiple orthopaedic operations and other interventions in rheumatoid arthritis. A material of 78 patients with rheumatoid arthritis, all of whom have had one or two total hip replacements (THR) is presented. At the last follow-up examination it was found that these patients had undergone 5.6 orthopaedic operations on the average because of their rheumatoid arthritis. About 60% of the patients wore specially fitted shoes, and about 50% of the patients had received financial help to improve their homes or to find other accommodation more suited to their disability.