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Is peroneal nerve injury associated with worse function after knee dislocation?
Aaron J Krych1, Steven A Giuseffi, Scott A Kuzma
1Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA, krych.aaron@mayo.edu.
Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research
|February 28, 2014
Summary
Patients with partial peroneal nerve injury after knee dislocation regain strength more often than those with complete injury. However, overall function scores (IKDC, Lysholm) are similar between groups and compared to patients without nerve injury.
Area of Science:
- Orthopedic Surgery
- Neurology
- Rehabilitation Medicine
Background:
- Peroneal nerve palsy is a common complication of multiligament knee dislocation, often leading to disability.
- Limited data exists on functional recovery and long-term outcomes for patients with this nerve injury.
Purpose of the Study:
- To report on motor and sensory recovery and patient-reported outcomes in multiligament knee dislocation with peroneal nerve injury.
- To compare outcomes between partial and complete peroneal nerve injuries.
- To compare outcomes of peroneal nerve injury patients with a matched cohort without nerve injury.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 27 patients with peroneal nerve injury undergoing multiligament knee reconstruction.
- Patients categorized into complete (n=9) and partial (n=18) nerve palsy groups.
- Outcomes assessed using International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) and Lysholm scores, compared to a matched cohort without nerve injury.
Main Results:
- 69% of patients regained antigravity ankle dorsiflexion; 38% with complete vs. 83% with partial palsy (p=0.06).
- 72% with partial palsy regained extensor hallucis longus strength vs. 13% with complete palsy (p=0.01).
- No significant difference in IKDC or Lysholm scores between complete and partial nerve palsy groups, or between nerve injury and non-nerve injury cohorts after controlling for confounders.
Conclusions:
- Partial peroneal nerve injuries are more likely to regain antigravity strength than complete injuries following multiligament knee dislocation.
- Despite differences in specific motor recovery, overall functional outcomes (IKDC, Lysholm scores) are comparable between partial and complete peroneal nerve injuries and similar to patients without nerve injury.
