The natural history of a newly developed flexion contracture following primary total knee arthroplasty. Academic Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • PURPOSE: We investigated the incidence, natural history, and functional consequences of a newly developed flexion contracture after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). METHODS: Forty patients with full knee extension preoperatively who developed a postoperative flexion contracture were match-paired 1:2 with 80 patients who had full extension. The incidence of a newly developed flexion contracture, ROM, and Knee Society scores (KSS) at six weeks, four months, and one year were analysed. RESULTS: The incidence of a new flexion contracture at six weeks was 14%, but diminished to 5% and 0.3% at four months and one year, respectively. One year after surgery, there was no difference in the KSS (p = 0.5). CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that the majority of patients who developed a new flexion contracture after TKA have full knee extension one year postoperatively. Moreover, knee extension and KSS at one year are equivalent to those patients who did not developed a flexion contracture.

publication date

  • July 9, 2013

Research

keywords

  • Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee
  • Contracture
  • Knee Prosthesis
  • Osteoarthritis, Knee
  • Postoperative Complications

Identity

PubMed Central ID

  • PMC3779550

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 84885426344

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1016/j.knee.2004.06.004

PubMed ID

  • 23835560

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 37

issue

  • 10