Application of a vibrating device for the prevention of flexion contracture after total knee arthroplasty

• Published in: European journal of orthopaedic surgery & traumatology 2015, Vol.25 (1), p.167-172
• Main Authors: Manó, Sándor, Pálinkás, Judit, Szabó, János, Nagy, Judit T., Bakó, Katalin, Csernátony, Zoltán
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee - adverse effects; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee - rehabilitation; Clinical medicine; Combined Modality Therapy - instrumentation; Combined Modality Therapy - methods; Contracture - prevention & control; Humans; Joint replacement surgery; Knee Joint - physiopathology; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Motion Therapy, Continuous Passive; Original Article; Range of Motion, Articular; Surgical Orthopedics; Traumatic Surgery; Vibration - therapeutic use
• ISSN: 1633-8065; 1432-1068
• DOI: 10.1007/s00590-014-1466-4

Our research team developed a new, heel support-based static and vibrating complementary treatment method for the prevention of flexion contractures often arising after total knee arthroplasty. We examined the efficiency of the method performing a randomized clinical trial with 144 patients undergoing total knee replacement. Seventy-nine patients were treated for 1 week with a generally used continuous passive motion (CPM) device complemented with our new method, which was based on the application of a static and an alternating heel support. The 65 patients in the control group were treated with only a CPM device as in usual clinical practice. The femoro-tibial angle was measured immediately following surgery, and after 1 week of treatment. At the end of the 1 week treatment, the target extension angle (0° ± 5°) was achieved by significantly more patients with the new combined method. This way the elevated heel rest and the vibrating device proved to be a good adjunct treatment along with the CPM used in routine clinical practice in the first place for the prevention of flexion contractures.