Short Term Recovery of Function following Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Randomised Study of the Medial Parapatellar and Midvastus Approaches

Mid-vastus approach induces milder short-term effects on postural control compared to parapatellar approach in total knee arthroplasty

BACKGROUND

Mid-Vastus and Medial Parapatellar techniques are used for total knee arthroplasty. Their short-term effects within the first month after surgery are yet unexplored. The purpose of this study was to compare Mid-Vastus and Medial Parapatellar effects on knee strength and balance control, at 5 days, 2 weeks and one month after surgery. It was hypothesized that Mid-Vastus would induce milder effects on the dependent variables due to its less invasive nature.

METHODS

Twenty females, randomly assigned to either the Mid-Vastus or the Medial Parapatellar group performed knee flexion-extension force and 30 s of bipedal stance before, 5 days, 2 weeks and one month after surgery. Maximum force, weight distribution and travel distance of the Center of Pressure were calculated.

FINDINGS

Both groups showed decreased force output at all post-measurements compared to before surgery. Medial Parapatellar group showcased significantly higher travel distance at the 2 weeks measurement (Z = -2.268, p = .023, |r| = 0.507) compared to before surgery. This result was also imprinted on the travel distance of the non-surgical knee limb in the post (t = 3.259, p = .004, d = 1.456), 2 weeks (Z = -2.570, p = .009, |r| = 0.574) and one month measurement (t = 2.653, p = .016, d = 1.185).

INTERPRETATION

While force is affected for both approaches, Mid-Vastus approach does not affect postural control. Therefore, Mid-Vastus is a less invasive technique compared to Medial Parapatellar. This work highlights the differences between Mid-Vastus and Medial Parapatellar approaches at least until the first month of rehabilitation.

Compare the Quadriceps Activity between Mini-Midvastus and Mini-Medial Parapatellar Approach in Total Knee Arthroplasty with Electromyography

Background: The comparison between the mini-midvastus (mini-MV) and mini-parapatellar (mini-MPP) approach in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) remains a subject of debate. The present study compared quadriceps activation, pain levels, and clinical outcomes between the two approaches; quadricep activation was assessed using surface electromyography (sEMG). Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study comprised a total of 78 patients aged between 50 and 85 years with primary osteoarthritis. Patients were divided into a mini-MV (n = 38) group and a mini-MPP (n = 40) group according to the surgical approach. Results: The two groups exhibited no significant differences in sEMG for the vastus medialis (VM) or rectus femoris (RF) at the follow-up time points, with the exception that the mini-MV group exhibited superior strength of RF during extensions at the 2-week follow-up. However, the mini-MPP group had superior Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Index (WOMAC) total and function scores at the 2- and 6-week follow-ups. The mini-MPP group also had superior WOMAC stiffness scores at the 2-week follow-up. The two groups did not differ significantly in terms of pain levels or morphine consumption. Conclusions: The sEMG data of quadriceps muscle would not differ significantly between the mini-MV and mini-MPP approaches for TKA. Moreover, the mini-MPP approach may yield superior WOMAC scores when compared with the mini-MV approach.

Subvastus Approach Supporting Fast-Track Total Knee Arthroplasty Over the Medial Parapatellar Approach: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND

Numerous surgical approaches are being used to perform total knee arthroplasty (TKA). This systematic review and network meta-analysis aimed to compare surgical approaches used in TKA regarding postoperative outcomesat different time points.

METHODS

We performed a literature search from medical database inception until October 2, 2021. We searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating patients undergoing TKA and comparing at least 2 surgical approaches regarding early postsurgical clinical outcomes (range of motion [ROM], pain on a visual analog scale, and Knee Society Score [KSS]). We included 33 RCTs in our networks. Using paired and network meta-analysis, we calculated pooled mean differences (MDs) with 95% CIs by comparing surgical approaches to the medial parapatellar method.

RESULTS

The subvastus (SV) method performed the best on days 1 (MD = 6.99; CI: 1.08; 12.89), 3 (MD = 8.00; CI: 2.08; 13.92), 4 (MD = 27.01; CI: 18.09; 35.92), and 6 (MD = 27.22; CI: 18.38; 36.07) for ROM improvement. Regarding the decrease in pain, the mini SV approach offered significantly lower pain values on days 1 (MD = -1.98; CI: -2.93; -1.03), 3 (MD = -0.85; CI: -1.49; -0.22), and 7 (MD = -1.90; CI: -2.23; -1.57). The differences decreased as time passed. Furthermore, the SV and mini-SV methods performed the best regarding total, knee and function KSS.

CONCLUSION

Quadriceps-sparing approaches, especially the SV and mini-SV, are superior to the other approaches in the early postsurgical period, but the differences decrease as time passes.

Patient reported outcomes do not correlate to functional knee recovery and range of motion in total knee arthroplasty

Background

Many total knee arthroplasty (TKA) patients exhibit continued pain and limited function following surgery. Determining TKA outcomes is typically reliant on post-operative evaluations and completing patient-reported outcomes (PROMs). Due to low compliance rates, it is essential to identify new strategies for monitoring patients. The purpose of this analysis was to assess the correlations between gait kinematics, PROMs, and knee range of motion (ROM).

Methods

130 patients (75 female) received Persona IQ TKA (Zimmer Biomet, Warsaw, IN, USA) which includes a stem extension with embedded accelerometer and gyroscope. PROM scores were compared at baseline and 6 weeks post-TKA using a paired t-test. Gait kinematics were recorded daily via the Persona IQ stem extension. Pearson's correlation coefficients were derived between PROMs and average gait kinematics.

Results

Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS Jr.) and Veterans RAND 12 (VR-12) physical scores improved following surgery (p ≤ 0.001, p = 0.003, respectively). Weak statistically significant correlations were found between PROMS and gait kinematics.

Conclusion

Weak correlations between PROMs and gait kinematics indicate patient perception of improvement and objectively measured functional status may not be interchangeable. Further, compliance with Persona IQ data reached 95.4-97.7% (depending on the parameter) at 6 weeks following surgery, a 20% higher compliance rate over PROMs. Daily functional measurements provide insight into the patient's progression and may be useful in detecting poor outcomes.

Mid-vastus total knee arthroplasty for medial osteoarthritis recovers gait balance control better than lateral parapatellar approach three months post-surgery

Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) approaches affect recovery outcomes, with different levels of residual loss of muscle strength and functional deficits. The current study compared the gait balance control in older individuals 3 months after TKA via the lateral parapatellar approach (LPPA) and mid-vastus approach (MVA) in terms of the inclination angle (IA) of the center of pressure (COP) to the body's center of mass (COM) vector, and the rate of change of IA (RCIA). In a gait laboratory, 12 patients with severe medial knee osteoarthritis who had undergone bilateral TKA via LPPA and 12 via MVA were evaluated and compared against 12 healthy controls for their balance control during gait 3 months after surgery. The participants' kinematic data and ground reaction forces were measured synchronously using an 8-camera motion capture system and three forceplates, respectively, from which the COM, COP, IA and RCIA were calculated using a 13-body-segment model. The LPPA group showed significantly greater sagittal IA during DLS (p < 0.01) but less sagittal and frontal RCIA throughout the gait cycle (p < 0.04) compared to controls. The MVA showed better recovery in the balance control with most IA and RCIA variables similar to those of the healthy controls throughout the gait cycle. The patients with LPPA walked with a compromised balance control throughout the gait cycle while the MVA group showed close-to-normal balance control with a slight decrease in sagittal RCIA during SLS. The current between-approach findings were likely related to the differences in the muscles involved during surgery, suggesting that MVA may be a better choice than LPPA when taking short-term gait balance control into consideration.

Effect of the knee replacement surgery on activity level based on ActivPAL: a systematic review and meta-analysis study

BACKGROUND

The knee replacement (KR) surgery aims to restore the activity level and reduce the risk of experiencing disabilities. The outcomes of this surgery are evaluated mainly with subjective tools or low validity objective tools. However, the effect of the surgery on activity level using high validity objective accelerometer is still in question.

METHODS

A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to evaluate the benefit of KR surgery alone to enhance physical activity recommendations based on high validity accelerometer. Two independent reviewers evaluated five electronic databases (Cochrane-Central-Register-of-Controlled Trials, EMBASE, PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus) to find relative studies between January 2000 and October 2021. The quality assessments and risk of bias assessments were examined.

RESULTS

Three articles were included with 202 participants (86 males, 116 females), with an average age of 64 years and an average 32 kg/m2 body mass index. The results found that the number of steps was significantly improved up to 36.35 and 45.5% after 6-months and 1-year of the surgery, respectively. However, these changes did not meet the recommended activity level guideline and could be related to the patients' health status and their activity level before the surgery. No significant changes were seen in sedentary time, standing time, and upright time after 6-months and 1-year follow-ups. Heterogeneity among studies was low to moderate (0-63%).

CONCLUSION

Knee replacement surgery is an effective treatment for improving patients' quality of life with severe knee injuries. However, various factors impact the success of surgical and achieving maximum benefit of the surgery. One factor, sedentary time, can be reduced by implementing pre-and post-surgery exercise or physical activity recommendations. Further studies are needed to understand the benefit of surgery with or without rehabilitation assessed using high validity monitors.

The Time Course of Quadriceps Strength Recovery After Total Knee Arthroplasty Is Influenced by Body Mass Index, Sex, and Age of Patients: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Introduction

For patients with osteoarthritis who have undergone total knee arthroplasty (TKA), quadriceps strength is a major determinant of general physical function regardless of the parameters adopted for functional assessment. Understanding the time course of quadriceps strength recovery and effectiveness of different rehabilitation protocols is a must. Therefore, the aim of this study was to: (i) determine the magnitude of maximal voluntary strength (MVS) loss and the time course of recovery of the quadriceps muscle following TKA, (ii) identify potential moderators of strength outcomes, and (iii) investigate whether different rehabilitation practices can moderate the strength outcomes following TKA, respectively.

Design

General scientific databases and relevant journals in the field of orthopedics were searched, identifying prospective studies that investigated quadriceps’ MVS pre-to post-surgery.

Results

Seventeen studies with a total of 832 patients (39% males) were included. Results showed that in the early post-operative days, the involved quadriceps’ MVS markedly declined, after which it slowly recovered over time in a linear fashion. Thus, the greatest decline of the MVS was observed 3 days after TKA. When compared to pre-operative values, the MVS was still significantly lower 3 months after TKA and did not fully recover up to 6 months following TKA. Furthermore, a meta-regression analysis identified that the variables, time point of evaluation, patient age, sex, and BMI, significantly moderate the MVS of the quadriceps muscle.

Conclusion

The analyzed literature data showed that the decrease in strength of the involved quadriceps muscles following TKA is considerable and lasts for several months post-surgery. Therefore, we recommend to specifically target the strengthening of knee extensor muscles, preserve motor control, and apply appropriate nutrition to ensure a holistic quadriceps muscle recovery. Since age, sex, and BMI were found to be moderating factors in patients’ recovery, further research should include specific analyses considering these moderators.

Does the type of surgical approach affect the clinical outcome of total knee arthroplasty?

Background

The aim of the study was to investigate the issue of medial midvastus (MMV) vs. medial parapatellar (MPP) approaches in total knee arthroplasty (TKA). It was hypothesized that the two surgical approaches would produce significantly different results with respect to patient-reported knee score outcome (hypothesis 1), short-term postoperative range of motion (ROM) (hypothesis 2), long-term postoperative ROM (hypothesis 3) and prosthesis survival (hypothesis 4).

Methods

A retrospective comparative study design was applied. Data sets were obtained from the state arthroplasty registry. The Western Ontario and McMaster Universities osteoarthritis index (WOMAC) data were analyzed from preoperative and 1 year postoperatively. The ROM data were analyzed for the time points preoperative, postoperative days 4 and 10 and 1 year.

Results

Available were 627 cases (407 MMV vs. 220 MPP) and 1 year postoperatively there were no significant differences between groups regarding the WOMAC scores (hypothesis 1). Early postoperatively on days 4 and 10 after TKA there were no differences between groups (p = 0.305 and p = 0.383, respectively, hypothesis 2). Likewise, ROM did not significantly differ between the groups 1 year after TKA (p = 0.338, hypothesis 3). The 5‑year prosthesis survival did not differ between the groups and showed 94.46% (95% confidence interval, CI 90.69–96.73%) in the MMV group and 94.33% (95% CI 89.96–96.83%) in the MPP group (p = 0.664, hypothesis 4).

Conclusion

Both surgical approaches produce equivalent clinical results in terms of early postoperative ROM, late postoperative ROM and 1‑year WOMAC. The same prosthesis survival rates can be expected.

Comparative study on mid- and long-term clinical effects of medial pivot prosthesis and posterior-stabilized prosthesis after total knee arthroplasty

Objective

The purpose of this study was to explore the mid-and long-term clinical effects of Chinese patients with medial pivot (MP) prosthesis and posterior-stabilized (PS) prosthesis after total knee arthroplasty (TKA), to provide a reference for the recommendation of clinical prostheses.

Methods

A retrospective analysis of 802 patients who received TKA was performed from June 2010 to December 2013. A total of 432 patients received a MP prosthesis (MP group) and 375 patients received a PS prosthesis (PS group). Postoperative range of motion (ROM), clinical scores including the knee scoring system (KSS), the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities osteoarthritis index (WOMAC), the forgotten joint score (FJS), and postoperative complications were compared between the two groups.

Results

A total of 527 patients were followed up, including 290 in the MP group and 237 in the PS group. Both groups achieved satisfactory results in terms of KSS score, WOMAC score, and postoperative ROM, which were significantly improved compared with those before surgery, but the difference between the groups was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). The FJS scores of the MP group and the PS group were satisfactory and no significant difference was observed (P = 0.426). Postoperative complications occurred in 5 and 11 patients in the MP group and PS group, respectively.

Conclusion

The clinical results of TKA with MP or PS in Chinese patients at mid- and long-term are encouraging, and no significant differences were observed between the two types of prostheses. Studies have also shown that both prostheses are safe for Chinese patients.

Better outcomes after mini-subvastus approach for primary total knee arthroplasty: a Bayesian network meta-analysis

Introduction

Alternatives to the classical medial parapatellar (MPP) approach for total knee arthroplasty (TKA) include the mini-medial parapatellar (MMPP), mini-subvastus (MSV), mini-midvastus (MMV) and quadriceps-sparing (QS) approaches. The best approach has been not fully clarified. The purpose of the present study was to conduct a Bayesian network meta-analysis comparing these approaches.

Materials and methods

The present analysis was carried out according to the PRISMA extension statement for reporting systematic reviews incorporating network meta-analyses of healthcare interventions. The databases search was performed in October 2019. All clinical trials comparing two or more approaches for primary TKA were considered for inclusion. The baseline comparability was evaluated through the analysis of variance (ANOVA) test. The statistical analysis was performed through the STATA software/MP. A Bayesian hierarchical random-effects model analysis was adopted in all the comparisons.

Results

Data from 52 articles (4533 patients) were collected. The mean follow-up was 20.38 months. With regard to diagnosis, gender, age and BMI, adequate baseline comparability was detected. The MSV approach ranked better concerning clinical scores (the lowest visual analogic scale, the higher KSS and KSFS) and functional outcomes (the shortest straight leg raise, the greatest degree of flexion and range of motion). Concerning perioperative data, the MSV evidenced the shortest hospital stay, while the MPP the shortest surgical duration and lowest estimated blood loss.

Conclusion

According to the main findings of the present study, the mini-subvastus approach for total knee arthroplasty demonstrated superior overall compared to the other approaches. Orthopaedic surgeons should consider this approach in the light of the evidence and limitations of this Bayesian network meta-analysis.

Minimally invasive versus conventional approaches in total knee replacement/arthroplasty: A review of the literature

Background

Life expectancy lengthening and aging of population resulted in dramatically increase of patients with osteoarthritis. Total knee arthroplasty is widely used as the gold standard in order to relieve pain, correct deformity and restore function. A contemporary and controversial topic, is that of minimally invasive surgery for TKA. The minimally invasive approaches are based on the concept that they don't violate the extensor mechanism, resulting in earlier functional recovery, shorter hospital stay and enhanced patients' overall satisfaction. The most commonly used MIS approaches in TKA are the subvastus, midvastus and the quadriceps sparing. There is a debate regarding the efficacy and safety of these methods.

Objective

In this article we will review the current literature (randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews/meta-analyses) on MIS compared to traditional approach and analyse their clinical safety, efficacy and long-term results.

Design

Comparison of well-designed studies have tried to demonstrate the advantages/disadvantages, the clinical results and the complications of the MIS approaches compared to the MPP approach.

Results

MIS approaches seem to provide advantages in the immediate post-operative period accompanied by increased reports of complications. Consequently, further investigation based on large well-designed studies with long-term results are warranted to further clarify MIS effectiveness/safety.