Comparison of Patellar Pain after Total Knee Arthroplasty with Conventional versus Individual Femoral Rotational Alignment
Abstract
The aim of the study was to find out whether the frequency and intensity of patellar pain can be affected by individual rotational alignment of the femoral component in total knee arthroplasty, as compared with the standard 3 degrees of external femoral rotation in conventional procedures. In randomly selected patients treated for knee osteoarthritis by total joint replacement between January 2007 and January 2011, the occurrence of patellar pain was assessed.
The evaluated knees were allocated to two groups. Group 1 included 350 knee joints with conventional femoral rotational alignment, i.e., 3 degrees of external rotation.
Group 2 comprised 380 knee joints with an individual rotational alignment of the femoral component based on the condylar twist angle. Post-operative anterior knee pain was assessed on the following scale: 1, no pain; 2, occasional mild pain; 3, moderate pain; 4, severe pain.