Knee Manipulation After Total Knee Arthroplasty: Comparison of Two Implant Designs

Substantial postoperative stiffness requiring manipulation is a well-recognized complication of total knee replacement. This study sought to determine whether the Medial-Pivot (MP) knee (Wright Medical, Memphis, TN) or the Double-High (DH) knee (Wright Medical) is more often associated with manipulation under anesthesia (MUA) for post–total knee arthroplasty (TKA) knee stiffness. It was hypothesized that manipulation rates would be similar. Retrospective review of 755 TKA patients showed that 4.1% required MUA, which is comparable to the literature. Manipulation by MUA for DH and MP knees was generally successful, with an average overall improvement in knee flexion of nearly 30°. MP and DH knees appear to have a lower than average prevalence of post-TKA knee stiffness requiring manipulation when compared with the literature. The number of MP and DH knees requiring MUA did not appear to differ substantially. (Journal of Surgical Orthopaedic Advances 22(2):157–159, 2013)