Short-term effects of mobilisation with movement in patients with post-traumatic stiffness of the knee joint

Old but gold: Is the Judet procedure still a viable option for posttraumatic knee stiffness in 2024? A comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

Posttraumatic extension contracture of the knee (PECK) is common after knee injury. Initial management is conservative to improve the range of motion; if it fails, surgery may be necessary. This systematic review analyses existing literature on Judet quadricepsplasty for PECK. We will assess clinical outcomes, complications, patient satisfaction and factors that may influence its success.

Methods

A search was conducted on 25 November 2023, adhering to preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses guidelines. PubMed, Embase and Google Scholar were used. Search strings were ([Judet] OR [quadricepsplasty]) AND (knee) AND (stiffness) and ([Judet] OR [quadricepsplasty]) AND (knee). Inclusion criteria: English articles focused on PECK, published between 2003 and 2023, and a minimum follow-up of 24 months. Exclusion criteria: case reports, alternative techniques, knee stiffness cases not only due to trauma, a sample size of <10 patients and articles not reporting functional outcomes.

Results

Among selected studies, 239 patients were considered. The average time between injury and Judet was 27 months. The population was predominantly male; the mean follow-up was 33 months. An average intraoperative knee range of motion improvement of 79.1 degrees (confidence interval 76.9; 81.3) compared to the average preoperative starting value of 30.7 degrees was observed. This improvement decreased by 13.5 degrees at the first postoperative check and by an additional 2.4 degrees at the follow-up, while maintaining an average value of bending above 90 degrees.

Conclusion

Judet quadricepsplasty appears an effective technique for the management of PECK. The heterogeneity of included studies and the absence of standardized outcome measures limit the ability to draw definitive conclusions.

Level of Evidence

Level III.

Effects of mental fatigue on biomechanical characteristics of lower extremities in patients with functional ankle instability during unanticipated side-step cutting

Background: Functional ankle instability (FAI) is the primary classification of ankle injuries. Competitive activities have complicated movements that can result in ankle re-injury among patients with FAI. Unanticipated movement state (MS) and mental fatigue (MF) could also happen in these activities, which may further increase their joint injury risk. Objective: This study aimed to clarify the biomechanical characteristics difference of the lower extremity (LE) between the injured side and the uninjured side among patients with FAI when they perform unanticipated side-step cutting after MF. Methods: Fifteen males with unilateral FAI participated in this study (age: 20.7 ± 1.3 years, height: 173.6 ± 4.4 cm, weight: 70.1 ± 5.0 kg). They used the injured side and the uninjured side of LE to complete anticipated and unanticipated side-step cutting before and after MF. The kinematic and kinetics data were evaluated using three-way ANOVA with repeated measures. Results: During patients with FAI performed anticipated side-step cutting, the ankle stiffness of both sides showed no significant change after MF; During they performed unanticipated side-step cutting, their injured side presented significantly lower ankle stiffness after MF, while the uninjured side did not have such change. In addition, after MF, the injured side exhibited increased ankle inversion, knee valgus and LR, but the uninjured side did without these changes. Conclusion: Influenced by MF, when patients with FAI use their injured side of LE to perform side-step cutting, this side LE has a higher risk of musculoskeletal injuries such as lateral ankle sprains and anterior cruciate ligament injury. The ankle stiffness of the injured side will be further reduced when patients with FAI perform unanticipated side-step cutting, which increases ankle instability and the risk of re-injury.

THE IMPROVEMENT OF PCA ALGORITHM AND ITS APPLICATION IN THE PREDICTION OF ELBOW KNEE JOINT INJURY

ABSTRACT Objective: There were many constraints produced by training time and joint injury to analyze the influence of the training intensity on the elbow and knee joints of athletes during the training process. Methods: An improved algorithm-based master component analysis (PCA) modeling method is proposed .1 4 4 athletes were selected in xxx and compared in three groups. Results: The improved PCA models for injury prediction were applied to athletes from group A, the traditional injury models for prediction were adopted for athletes from group B, and athletes from group C received the hospital physical examinations. The results showed that the accuracy of elbow injury in group A due to excessive exercise was 66.86%, the accuracy of hospital physical examination in group C was 67%, and the accuracy of the traditional algorithm in group B was 50%, finding that the accuracy of group A was obviously different from group B (P < 0.05). Compared with other injuries caused by excessive friction, the detection accuracy of knee injuries caused by excessive friction in group A was 62%, that in group B was 44%, and that in group C was 63%. There was a statistically marked difference between groups A and B (P < 0.05). Conclusions: A PCA - based model of athletes’ overtraining injury has high accuracy and adaptability, predicting elbow injury. Level of evidence II; Therapeutic studies - investigation of treatment results.