Stiffness after knee arthrotomy: Evaluation of prevalence and results after manipulation under anaesthesia

SummaryThe aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence and the effect of manipulation under anaesthesia in patients with Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA), “revision-knee” and all forms of other intra-articular surgical procedures. We aimed to determine differences in the outcome according to the number of previous surgeries and according to time of manipulation under anaesthesia (MUA).Patients and MethodsOne thousand three hundred and forty-four elective intra-articular surgeries (no trauma cases) were performed at our institution between 2004 and 2009. Fifty-two of them underwent MUA because of postoperative knee stiffness with a flexion less than 90°. The prevalence for stiffness after primary TKA was 4.54%, for revision-knee procedures 5.11%, and for other forms of intra-articular surgery 1.29%.ResultsFlexion was statistically significantly improved directly after MUA in the group after primary TKA with a mean gain of 35.13°±17.03°, in the group with revision procedures of 41.31°±9.08° and in the group with other forms of intra-articular surgery of 24.37°±5.21°. Patients with more than two previous operations showed significantly worse results (P=0.039). No statistically significant difference (P=0.307) was seen according to time (>/