Clinical, objective, and functional outcomes of manipulation under anesthesia to treat knee stiffness following total knee arthroplasty

J Arthroplasty. 2014 Mar;29(3):548-52. doi: 10.1016/j.arth.2013.07.046. Epub 2013 Sep 4.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the clinical outcomes of manipulation under anesthesia (MUA) in a cohort who had developed knee stiffness following total knee arthroplasty (TKA). One-hundred and forty-five TKAs in 134 patients who had undergone MUA were compared to the remaining 1973 TKAs in 1671 patients who did not develop this condition. At a mean follow-up of 51 months (range, 24 to 85 months), the mean gains in flexion in the MUA cohort were 33° (range, 5° to 65°). The final range-of-motion in the MUA cohort was lower than the comparison cohort (114° versus 125°) however, this would meet the required flexion for activities of daily living. There were no differences in the Knee Society objective and functional scores between the two cohorts. It is encouraging that MUA cohort outcomes were comparable to outcomes of patients who did not develop knee stiffness.

Keywords: arthrofibrosis; flexion; knee stiffness; manipulation under anesthesia; range-of-motion; total knee arthroplasty.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee / adverse effects*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Knee Joint / physiopathology*
  • Knee Joint / surgery*
  • Male
  • Manipulation, Orthopedic*
  • Middle Aged
  • Range of Motion, Articular
  • Recovery of Function
  • Treatment Outcome