Purpose. To assess the effectiveness of a turnbuckle orthosis as a means of improving the range of motion in patients with elbow stiffness. Methods. 17 males and 11 females aged 8 to 68 (mean, 32) years underwent static progressive stretching using a turnbuckle orthosis for elbow stiffness secondary to trauma or surgery. Patients were instructed to wear the orthosis during the daytime for a mean of 15 hours and remove it during sleep as well as at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. One hour of range-of-motion exercise was performed during each break. Patients were followed up every month and the range of motion was recorded with a standard goniometer. The use of orthosis was discontinued when there was no further improvement. Range-of-motion exercise was encouraged thereafter to maintain the results. The extent of flexion contracture and range of motion before and after the treatment were compared. Results. The mean duration of orthosis use was 5 (range, 3-8) months. The mean flexion contracture reduced from 59º to 27º and the range of motion improved from 57º to 102º. 19 of the patients achieved Static progressive stretching using a turnbuckle orthosis for elbow stiffness: a prospective study
Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery ��������������� ���������������a functional range of motion. Improvement in the range of motion was excellent in 6 patients, good in 11, satisfactory in 7; at the end of follow-up (mean, 29 months), the results were maintained or improved further in 20 patients (even in those with longstanding contractures). Conclusion. Static progressive stretching using a turnbuckle orthosis is reliable and cost-effective for treating elbow stiffness.
BackgroundDue to its small size, variable shape, and lack of distinct anatomical landmarks, osteoarthritic knees make a precise patellar resection extremely difficult.MethodsWe performed virtual patellar resection with digital software using three dimensional computed tomography scans of knees from 49 patients who underwent primary total knee replacement at our hospital. We compared 2 commonly used resection methods, the tendon method (TM) and the subchondral method, to determine an ideal resection plane with respect to the symmetry and thickness of the patellar remnant.ResultsThe TM gave a thicker resected patella, and a less oval cut surface shape, which gives better coverage for a domed prosthesis. Both methods, however, gave a symmetric resection both superior-inferiorly, as well as mediolaterally.ConclusionsAlthough TM appears statistically better with respect to the thickness and cut surface shape, only further intraoperative studies with long-term clinical follow-up may provide us with the most appropriate patellar resection method.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.