Unrestricted participation in sports activities and return to the pre-injury level is often reported as an indicator of the success of ACL reconstruction. The athletes' choice not to return to their pre-injury level may depend on the knee function, but some times, social reasons or psychological hindrances such as fear of re-injury may influence their return to sports. The aim of this study was to investigate whether fear of re-injury due to movement is of significance for returning to previous level of activity in patients who have undergone anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. The Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia (TSK), the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) and some general questions were mailed to 87 patients who underwent ACL reconstruction 3-4 years before the study was conducted. Sixty-two patients (74%) answered the questionnaires (34 men and 28 women). Fifty-three percent of the patients returned to their pre-injury activity level. The patients who did not return to their pre-injury activity level had more fear of re-injury, which was reflected in the TSK. In addition, high fear of re-injury was correlated with low knee-related quality of life. Fear of re-injury must be considered in the rehabilitation and evaluation of the effects of an ACL reconstruction.
Tranexamic acid decreased total blood loss by nearly 30%, drainage volume by approximately 50% and drastically reduced transfusion. However, concealed loss was only marginally influenced by tranexamic acid and was at least as large as the drainage volume.
We investigated the long-term outcome of 100 patients 15 years after having been randomly allocated to primary repair (augmented or non-augmented) or non-surgical treatment of an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture. The subjective outcome was similar between the groups, with no difference regarding activity level and knee-injury and osteoarthritis outcome score but with a slightly lower Lysholm score for the non-surgically treated group. This difference was attributed to more instability symptoms. The radiological osteoarthritis (OA) frequency did not differ between surgically or non-surgically treated patients, but if a meniscectomy was performed, two-thirds of the patients showed OA changes regardless of initial treatment of the ACL. There were significantly more meniscus injuries in patients initially treated non-surgically. One-third of the patients in the non-surgically treated group underwent secondary ACL reconstruction due to instability problems. In this study, ACL repair itself could not reduce the risk of OA nor increase the subjective outcome scores. However, one-third of the non-surgical treated patients were later ACL reconstructed due to instability. The status of the menisci was found to be the most important predictor of developing OA. Early ACL repair and also ACL reconstruction can reduce the risk of secondary meniscus tears. Indirectly this supports the hypothesis that early stabilization of the knee after ACL injury is advantageous for the long-term outcome.
Background and purpose Although a tourniquet may reduce bleeding during total knee replacement (TKA), and thereby possibly improve fixation, it might also cause complications. Migration as measured by radiostereometric analysis (RSA) can predict future loosening. We investigated whether the use of a tourniquet influences prosthesis fixation measured with RSA. This has not been investigated previously to our knowledge.Methods 50 patients with osteoarthritis of the knee were randomized to cemented TKA with or without tourniquet. RSA was performed postoperatively and at 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years. Pain during hospital stay was registered with a visual analog scale (VAS) and morphine consumption was measured. Overt bleeding and blood transfusions were registered, and total bleeding was estimated by the hemoglobin dilution method. Range of motion was measured up to 2 years.Results RSA maximal total point motion (MTPM) differed by 0.01 mm (95% CI –0.13 to 0.15). Patients in the tourniquet group had less overt bleeding (317 mL vs. 615 mL), but the total bleeding estimated by hemoglobin dilution at day 4 was only slightly less (1,184 mL vs. 1,236 mL) with a mean difference of –54 mL (95% CI –256 to 152). Pain VAS measurements were lower in the non-tourniquet group (p = 0.01). There was no significant difference in morphine consumption. Range of motion was 11° more in the non-tourniquet group (p = 0.001 at 2 years).Interpretation Tourniquet use did not improve fixation but it may cause more postoperative pain and less range of motion.
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