Pressure dispersion pad use allows patients to kneel comfortably after total knee arthroplasty

TL;DR

A pressure dispersion pad helps patients with knee replacements kneel more comfortably by reducing contact pressure.

Contribution

The study introduces a pressure dispersion pad that significantly reduces contact pressure during kneeling after total knee arthroplasty.

Findings

Patients unable to kneel felt pain at 61% of the contact pressure compared to those who could kneel easily.

The pressure dispersion pad reduced contact pressure by 12% for patients who could not kneel, enabling them to kneel comfortably.

Use of the pad improved kneeling scores and reduced pain in all patients except those without pain.

Abstract

This study aimed to clarify the contact pressure at which patients with difficulty in kneeling after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) feel pain and the contact pressure at which kneeling can be performed after using a pressure dispersion pad.

Sixty patients (69 knees) who underwent TKA for end‐stage knee osteoarthritis were included. The patients performed single stance kneeling on the sheet‐type pressure mapping system, and the contact pressure and area were measured before and after using the pressure dispersion pad. The Oxford Knee Score was used to evaluate kneeling ability.

The group of patients who were unable to kneel had significantly lower contact pressure than those who were able to kneel easily (0.61 N/cm2/kg vs. 0.99 N/cm2/kg; p = 0.04). No patient reported kneeling as being ‘impossible’ or ‘extremely difficult’ when using the pressure dispersion pad. Moreover, all patients except those without pain had less pain and improved kneeling scores when using the pressure dispersion pad. Use of the pressure dispersion pad significantly reduced contact pressure for all kneeling score groups after TKA (0.12 N/cm2/kg for the impossible group).

The patients who could not kneel after TKA felt pain at 61% of the contact pressure compared to those who could kneel easily. Even patients who were unable to kneel after TKA were able to kneel when the contact pressure was reduced to 12% of that of the patients who could easily kneel using a pressure dispersion pad.

Level III.

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