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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Joints 2017; 05(01): 007-011
DOI: 10.1055/s-0037-1601406
Original Article
Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

The Use of a High-Tech Knee Pad for Reduction of the Postoperative Effusion after Total Knee Arthroplasty

Massimo Innocenti
1   Department of Orthopaedics, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
,
Michele Mancini
1   Department of Orthopaedics, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
,
Marina Faccio
1   Department of Orthopaedics, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
,
Christian Carulli
1   Department of Orthopaedics, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
,
Paolo Buselli
2   Department of Rehabilitation, Azienda Ospedaliera Istituti Ospitalieri, Cremona, Italy
,
Sara Messina
2   Department of Rehabilitation, Azienda Ospedaliera Istituti Ospitalieri, Cremona, Italy
,
Giuseppe Quattrone
3   Social and Economic Department, Catholic University, Piacenza, Italy
,
Piergiorgio Spaggiari
4   Lombardia Regional Committee for Unconventional Medicine, Italy
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

Publication Date:
05 June 2017 (online)

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Abstract

Purpose After total knee arthroplasty (TKA), pain and swelling, especially in older and less cooperative patients, can limit the retrieval of a good range of motion and muscle tone and consequently the achievement of an optimal function outcome. A high-tech knee pad made of metal fibers emitting infrared energy was used in a group of patients undergoing TKA to assess its efficacy in the postoperative period with respect to a group with a placebo.

Methods Twelve patients used knee pads after surgery for 3 weeks and were evaluated using visual analog scale (VAS), Knee Society Rating Score, Cincinnati Knee Rating Score, and painkillers at specific timings.

Results At 3 weeks, all scores improved in a significant manner in the treated group compared with the placebo group. At 2 months after surgery, VAS was better in the study group than the control group, whereas other parameters were similar. However, the use of rescue drugs was less in the study group than in the placebo group.

Conclusion A high-tech knee pad may contribute to a faster recovery within the first week after a knee replacement, limiting the use of painkillers and allowing a quick functional recovery by the control of pain and postoperative effusion.

Level of Evidence Level II, randomized prospective study with small sample size.

Keywords

high-tech device - knee pad - postoperative effusion - replacement - total knee arthroplasty
 

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