Interview guide

Theme of participant experiences

1) Motivation of participants to undergo TKA

Primary reasons participants pursued surgical treatment:

1) Knee joint pain: Walking is painful and inability to walk long distances

2) Limited joint range of motion: Difficulty climbing stairs and inability to bend down or squat

3) Weakness in legs: Limpness and difficulty walking

2) Expectations of participants about TKA

1) No more pain and ease in walking

2) Able to manage daily life

3) Life changes from preoperative to postoperative periods

1) Initial postoperative outdoor walking capabilities differ depending on the individual

2) Pain improved: Participants are able to walk farther and do what they want to do postoperatively.

3) Joint range of motion improves postoperatively, but squatting remains difficult

4) Improved mood: Normalisation of daily life post operation and ease in going outdoors, leading to improved participant mood

5) Increase the amount of exercise: Participants forced to reduce exercise volume prior to surgery, but could gradually increase exercise after surgery

6) ADL difficulty: Participants able to conduct ADL preoperatively, but ADL remained difficult within 3 months after surgery