[Postoperative knee joint mobilization in catheter peridural anesthesia following arthrolyses of the knee joint]

The results of arthrolysis of a stiff knee are often poor due to post-operative pain preventing early active mobilization that is so essential. Adequate analgesia may be ensured by the use of continuous anaesthesia via an epidural catheter, and in combination with continuous passive motion such analgesia is able to maintain, and often improve, the range of movement obtained at surgery. 22 patients treated in this way showed an improvement in the range of movement of between 39 and 120 degrees. Patients with post-traumatic knee stiffness achieved an average improvement in the range of movement of 93%, while those with stiffness following infection only improved by 55% on the average. The pre-operative loss of movement does not appear to determine the end result: the aetiology of the stiffness is more important.