Scrolling Through The Trends - Rising Virtual Public Interest in Common Orthopedic Procedures
Location
LSU Health NO Center for Advanced Learning and Simulation (CALS)
Document Type
Event
Start Date
20-6-2026 10:20 AM
End Date
20-6-2026 11:20 AM
Publication Date
June 2026
Description
Introduction: An increasing volume of orthopedic procedures are being performed over time for conditions such as hip impingement, hip labrum tears, hip dysplasia, elbow ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) tears, patellofemoral instability, and knee chondral lesions. Despite this, virtual public interest in these pathologies and their surgical interventions has not been well-characterized. Additionally, the readability of patient education materials for these common orthopedic conditions has been evaluated in a limited fashion. This study was conducted to evaluate virtual publish interest in a wide variety of orthopedic conditions and procedures, and to evaluate the readability of patient education materials for those orthopedic conditions and procedures.
Methods: A retrospective longitudinal study from January 2016 – December 2025 was conducted utilizing Google Trends. The mean relative search volume (RSV), ranging from 0-100, with 0 representing no public interest in a search term during the timeframe and 100 representing maximal public interest in a search term during the timeframe, was obtained for various hip preservation pathologies, UCL injuries, patellofemoral instability, and knee chondral injuries, along with public interest in procedures treating them (“hip impingement surgery”, “hip labrum surgery”, “hip dysplasia surgery”, “hip arthroscopy”, “UCL surgery”, “UCL repair”, “UCL reconstruction”, “MPFL reconstruction”, “tibial tubercle osteotomy”, “trochleoplasty”, “patella lateral release”, “osteochondral allograft”, “MACI procedure”, “microfracture”, and “OATS procedure”). Additionally, a Google search was conducted in incognito mode with various orthopedic pathologies, and the first 25 patient education articles for each pathology were accessed and the Flesch-Kincaid Reading Grade Level was obtained for each article. The proportion of articles meeting the American Medical Association (AMA) 6th grade recommended reading level was analyzed. Statistical analysis comprised Chi-square tests, student T-tests, and analysis of variance (ANOVA) tests, with statistical significance being set at a p-value<0.05.
Results: The mean RSV increased significantly over the last decade for common orthopedic pathologies including “hip impingement” (2016: 40; 2025: 93; p < 0.001), “hip labral tear” (2016: 58; 2025: 94; p < 0.001), “dysplasia of the hip” (2016: 35; 2025: 71; p < 0.001), “UCL tear” (2016: 9; 2025: 24; p<0.001), “patella dislocation” (16 to 38; p<0.001), and "cartilage repair" (2017: 57; 2024: 74; p < 0.001). Additionally, the mean RSV increased significantly for common orthopaedic procedures during the last decade including “hip impingement surgery” (2016: 49; 2025: 79; p < 0.001), “hip labrum surgery” (2016: 43; 2025: 91; p < 0.001), “hip dysplasia surgery” (2016: 34; 2025: 48; p < 0.001), “UCL Surgery” (2016: 21; 2025: 67; p<0.001), “UCL Repair” (2016: 13; 2025: 58; p<0.001), “UCL Reconstruction” (2016: 19; 2025: 54; p<0.001), “UCL Internal Brace” (2016: 0; 2025: 50; p<0.001), “MPFL reconstruction” (2016: 36; 2025: 86; p<0.001), “tibial tubercle osteotomy” (2016: 40; 2025: 75; p<0.001), “trochleoplasty” (2016: 10; 2025: 68; p<0.001), “patella lateral release” (2016: 35; 2025: 65; p=0.019), OCA (2017: 51; 2024: 68; p < 0.001), and MACI (2017: 5; 2024: 78; p < 0.001). Conversely, the mean RSV for microfracture significantly decreased over time (2017: 90; 2024: 63; p < 0.001), as did OATS (2017: 75; 2024: 61; p < 0.001). None of the online patient education articles for hip preservation pathologies, UCL tears, or cartilage repair procedures met the recommended AMA 6th grade reading level.
Discussion: Correlating with an increasing number of patients undergoing common orthopaedic procedures over time, there is increasing virtual public interest in hip preservation, UCL, patellar instability, and cartilage repair procedures.
Significance/Clinical relevance: Having increasing awareness about rising virtual public interest in certain orthopedic pathologies and procedures, and the poor readability of online patient education articles for those orthopedic pathologies and procedures, can help to spark the development of more patient-centered educational resources and facilitate improvement in the quality of existing resources.
Recommended Citation
Khan, Irfan MD, "Scrolling Through The Trends - Rising Virtual Public Interest in Common Orthopedic Procedures" (2026). Dept. of Orthopaedics: Robert D. D’Ambrosia Lectureship & Research Day. 5.
https://digitalscholar.lsuhsc.edu/ortho_rd/2026/student/5
Scrolling Through The Trends - Rising Virtual Public Interest in Common Orthopedic Procedures
LSU Health NO Center for Advanced Learning and Simulation (CALS)
Introduction: An increasing volume of orthopedic procedures are being performed over time for conditions such as hip impingement, hip labrum tears, hip dysplasia, elbow ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) tears, patellofemoral instability, and knee chondral lesions. Despite this, virtual public interest in these pathologies and their surgical interventions has not been well-characterized. Additionally, the readability of patient education materials for these common orthopedic conditions has been evaluated in a limited fashion. This study was conducted to evaluate virtual publish interest in a wide variety of orthopedic conditions and procedures, and to evaluate the readability of patient education materials for those orthopedic conditions and procedures.
Methods: A retrospective longitudinal study from January 2016 – December 2025 was conducted utilizing Google Trends. The mean relative search volume (RSV), ranging from 0-100, with 0 representing no public interest in a search term during the timeframe and 100 representing maximal public interest in a search term during the timeframe, was obtained for various hip preservation pathologies, UCL injuries, patellofemoral instability, and knee chondral injuries, along with public interest in procedures treating them (“hip impingement surgery”, “hip labrum surgery”, “hip dysplasia surgery”, “hip arthroscopy”, “UCL surgery”, “UCL repair”, “UCL reconstruction”, “MPFL reconstruction”, “tibial tubercle osteotomy”, “trochleoplasty”, “patella lateral release”, “osteochondral allograft”, “MACI procedure”, “microfracture”, and “OATS procedure”). Additionally, a Google search was conducted in incognito mode with various orthopedic pathologies, and the first 25 patient education articles for each pathology were accessed and the Flesch-Kincaid Reading Grade Level was obtained for each article. The proportion of articles meeting the American Medical Association (AMA) 6th grade recommended reading level was analyzed. Statistical analysis comprised Chi-square tests, student T-tests, and analysis of variance (ANOVA) tests, with statistical significance being set at a p-value<0.05.
Results: The mean RSV increased significantly over the last decade for common orthopedic pathologies including “hip impingement” (2016: 40; 2025: 93; p < 0.001), “hip labral tear” (2016: 58; 2025: 94; p < 0.001), “dysplasia of the hip” (2016: 35; 2025: 71; p < 0.001), “UCL tear” (2016: 9; 2025: 24; p<0.001), “patella dislocation” (16 to 38; p<0.001), and "cartilage repair" (2017: 57; 2024: 74; p < 0.001). Additionally, the mean RSV increased significantly for common orthopaedic procedures during the last decade including “hip impingement surgery” (2016: 49; 2025: 79; p < 0.001), “hip labrum surgery” (2016: 43; 2025: 91; p < 0.001), “hip dysplasia surgery” (2016: 34; 2025: 48; p < 0.001), “UCL Surgery” (2016: 21; 2025: 67; p<0.001), “UCL Repair” (2016: 13; 2025: 58; p<0.001), “UCL Reconstruction” (2016: 19; 2025: 54; p<0.001), “UCL Internal Brace” (2016: 0; 2025: 50; p<0.001), “MPFL reconstruction” (2016: 36; 2025: 86; p<0.001), “tibial tubercle osteotomy” (2016: 40; 2025: 75; p<0.001), “trochleoplasty” (2016: 10; 2025: 68; p<0.001), “patella lateral release” (2016: 35; 2025: 65; p=0.019), OCA (2017: 51; 2024: 68; p < 0.001), and MACI (2017: 5; 2024: 78; p < 0.001). Conversely, the mean RSV for microfracture significantly decreased over time (2017: 90; 2024: 63; p < 0.001), as did OATS (2017: 75; 2024: 61; p < 0.001). None of the online patient education articles for hip preservation pathologies, UCL tears, or cartilage repair procedures met the recommended AMA 6th grade reading level.
Discussion: Correlating with an increasing number of patients undergoing common orthopaedic procedures over time, there is increasing virtual public interest in hip preservation, UCL, patellar instability, and cartilage repair procedures.
Significance/Clinical relevance: Having increasing awareness about rising virtual public interest in certain orthopedic pathologies and procedures, and the poor readability of online patient education articles for those orthopedic pathologies and procedures, can help to spark the development of more patient-centered educational resources and facilitate improvement in the quality of existing resources.