[Diagnosis and therapy of acute infections of the knee joint]

Infections of the knee joint have to be considered as emergency cases. They must be treated by immediate surgical intervention. Otherwise irreversible cartilage lesions will occur already after one week. An immobilization decreases the exchange of substrates within the knee joint and impedes the resistance to infections. An early functional follow-up treatment should be performed. The therapy conception resulting from these considerations includes a lavage and following continuous passive mobility therapy on a motor bar. This method has proved successful during the last years and led to clearly improved results.