The significance of post-operative bracing in preventing knee arthrofibrosis after ACL reconstruction

Abstract

High-energy injuries of the knee joint can cause ligament damage which may have complications in 4-6% of all cases in the form of movement limitation and arthrofibrosis (5,9,14). There are several intra- and extraarticular factors that could be closely connected with formation of arthrofibrosis. One of the most important factors is the utilization of a knee brace as the means of immobilization during the post-operative period (7,8). There are various opinions on the matter of using a knee brace after an ACL reconstruction surgery. For instance, 85% of members of the American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM) support and utilize this method (6). Despite the fact that movement limitations in the affected joint are rare after the aforementioned surgical procedure, the issue of preventing and eliminating knee extension deficit during the post-operative period is still relevant. The following research is based on the evaluation of the findings in 22 patients with extension deficits 2 weeks after arthroscopic ACL reconstruction surgery and it studies the effectiveness of knee brace in eliminating extension limitation during a 3-week rehabilitation period. The results of the abovementioned research showed that utilization of knee brace in the rehabilitation process during 3 weeks is significantly effective method (P<0.008) for eliminating knee extension deficit in a way that the negative influence on the function of the quadriceps muscle of the affected limb stays negligible.