[Experience with the surgical correction of restricted movement of the knee joint].

Abstract

Authors treated 34 patients from 1989 to 1992 with restricted knee movements in the Department of Sport Medicine. The average age of the patients was 32 years, the youngest was 16 and the eldest was 54 years old, and the female male ratio was 14/20. 71% of the patients had some kind of ligament surgery in the past. Arthrolysis was performed in 24 cases. 13 cases out of 24 was performed arthroscopically and the rest was done following arthrotomy. Manipulation under anaesthesia was satisfactory in 5 cases, 4 patients had combined treatment and 1 had extraarticular intervention only. The range of motion was 0-11-81 degrees to start with, and it has improved up to 0-2-124 degrees in average 13 month time following the arthrolysis. There was correlation between the restriction and between the time of primary ligament reconstruction, the sex and the age of the patients. To perform the arthrolysis in time is important and the physiotherapist and the constant passive motion is inevitable.