Abstract Background Central sensitization is a condition in which even mild stimuli cause pain due to increased neuronal reactivity in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord. It is one of factors of chronic pain in patients with osteoarthritis. However, it is unknown whether central sensitization relates to clinical outcomes after total hip arthroplasty (THA). This study aimed to clarify whether preoperative central sensitization relates to the forgotten joint score-12 (FJS) after THA. Moreover, the secondary outcome was to identify which items in the FJS were most related by central sensitization. Methods This retrospective analysis included 263 hips (263 patients; 51 males and 212 females) that underwent primary THA in our institute and were available for evaluation one year postoperatively. The average patient age was 64.8 ± 11.9 years. The Central Sensitization Inventory (CSI) part A, which is a patient-reported outcome, was used to measure preoperative central sensitization. The correlation between preoperative CSI and postoperative FJS and the association between postoperative FJS and preoperative CSI severity were determined. Moreover, difference in each FJS item was evaluated by CSI severity. Results Twenty-six patients (9.9%) had central sensitization preoperatively. Preoperative CSI scores and postoperative FJS were negatively correlated ( r  =  − 0.331, p  < 0.0001). The postoperative FJS was significantly lower in patients with moderate or higher preoperative CSI severity than that in patients with subclinical or mild preoperative CSI severity ( p  < 0.05). FJS items with movement of daily life were significantly worse in the moderate or higher CSI severity compared with subclinical group ( p  < 0.05 or p  < 0.01). Conclusion Central sensitization prior to THA negatively related to postoperative FJS. In particular, the relationship of central sensitization was found to be significant in FJS items with movement, which would lead to lower patient satisfaction after THA. To get better postoperative outcomes in patients with preoperative central sensitization, improving central sensitization would be important.