Change in Limb Length After Total Knee Arthroplasty.

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Biomechanical Engineering

Background:

• Clinical outcomes of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) can be suboptimal for some individuals.
• Postoperative limb length discrepancy, particularly lengthening of the operative limb, may contribute to reduced functionality after TKA.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify limb length changes following TKA.
• To investigate the correlation between preoperative valgus/varus joint position and postoperative limb length changes.
• To assess the influence of body mass index and Kellgren-Lawrence grade on limb length alterations.

Main Methods:

• A prospective, cross-sectional study analyzing data from 137 TKAs.
• Comparison of pre-operative and post-operative limb lengths.
• Categorization of patients based on preoperative joint alignment, BMI, and Kellgren-Lawrence grade.

Main Results:

• 59.1% of patients showed an increase in limb length, averaging 0.438 cm.
• No statistically significant difference in overall limb length was observed pre- versus postoperatively (P=0.598).
• Similar trends were noted across all subgroups analyzed.

Conclusions:

• Limb lengthening after TKA generally does not occur to a statistically significant degree.
• Preoperative joint status does not appear to significantly influence limb length changes post-TKA.