Idiopathic osteoarthritis and contracture: causal implications

Stretching, Bracing, and Devices for the Treatment of Osteoarthritis-Associated Joint Contractures in Nonoperated Joints: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

CONTEXT

Many patients with osteoarthritis (OA) develop range of motion (ROM) restrictions in their affected joints (contractures), associated with worse outcomes and rising healthcare costs. Effective treatment guidance for lost ROM in OA-affected joints is lacking.

OBJECTIVE

A systematic review and meta-analysis evaluating the effectiveness of stretching and/or bracing protocols on native (nonoperated) joint ROM in the setting of radiographically diagnosed OA.

DATA SOURCES

Seven databases, English-language.

STUDY SELECTION

Studies including participants with radiographically diagnosed OA in any native joint evaluating the effect of stretching or bracing on ROM.

STUDY DESIGN

Systematic review and meta-analysis.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level 2.

DATA EXTRACTION

Two reviewers independently screened articles for inclusion and assessed risk of bias in included trials. Primary outcomes were ROM, pain, and adverse events (AEs).

RESULTS

We identified 6284 articles. A total of 9 randomized controlled trials, all evaluating the knee, met eligibility criteria. For stretching, 3 pooled studies reported total ROM, which improved by mean difference (MD) of 9.3° (95% CI 5.0°,13.5°) versus controls. Two pooled studies showed improved knee flexion ROM (MD 10.8° [7.3°,14.2°]) versus controls. Five studies were pooled for knee extension with mean improvement 9.1° [3.4°,14.8°] versus controls. Seven pooled studies showed reduced pain (standardized MD 1.9 [1.2,2.6]). One study reported improved knee extension of 3.7° [2.9°,4.5°] with use of a device. No studies used orthoses. One study reported on AEs, with none noted. Performance bias was present in all included studies, and only 3 studies clearly reported blinding of outcome assessors. Strength of evidence for primary outcomes was considered moderate.

CONCLUSION

There was moderate-quality evidence that stretching is an effective strategy for improving knee total, flexion and extension ROM, and pain. Our findings suggest that stretching to regain joint ROM in OA is not futile and that stretching appears to be an appropriate conservative intervention to improve patient outcomes as part of a comprehensive knee OA treatment plan before arthroplasty.

Trends in digital joint motion following surgical reconstruction of a tendon rupture after distal radius fracture

BACKGROUND

Tendon rupture has been recognized as a complication of distal radius fracture (DRF); however, the clinical outcome of reconstructive surgery for this injury remains unclear. We examined prognostic factors for the outcomes of reconstructive surgery in patients with a tendon rupture after DRF.

METHODS

This study was a retrospective review of a case series. Seventy-five consecutive patients were treated at our institution for tendon rupture after DRF. The cohort included 14 males and 61 females with a mean age of 67.7 years at the time of tendon reconstruction. Sixty-four and eighteen tendon ruptures occurred after non-operative management for DRF and palmar locking plate fixation, respectively. Seven ruptured tendons received a free tendon graft from the palmaris longus tendon, and the others underwent tendon transfers. All patients were managed postoperatively by our hand therapy unit according to a controlled active mobilization regime.

RESULTS

The mean follow-up period was 28 weeks (range: 12-80 weeks). Patients with extensor tendon ruptures were significantly younger than those with flexor tendon ruptures regardless of the initial DRF treatment. The mean percentage active range of motion of the injured digits relative to normal active motion (%AROM) at the final follow-up was 70% (range: 30-101%) in all patients. The %AROM after flexor tendon reconstruction for patients after non-operative management was significantly inferior to that of other patients. Multiple regression analysis revealed that aging and non-operative management of DRF are independent risk factors for poor %AROM.

CONCLUSIONS

This study confirmed that advanced age and non-operative management of DRF were prognostic factors for digital joint motion following surgical reconstruction for tendon rupture. Our results suggest that it may be difficult to achieve good clinical outcomes in elderly patients with tendon ruptures (particularly flexor tendon ruptures) following non-operative management of DRF.

Associations among quality of life, activities, and participation in elderly residents with joint contractures in long-term care facilities: a cross-sectional study

Background

Joint contractures and degenerative osteoarthritis are the most common joint diseases in the elderly population, can lead to limited mobility in elderly individuals, can exacerbate symptoms such as pain, stiffness, and disability, and can interfere with social participation and quality of life, thus affecting mental health. However, relevant studies on this topic are very limited. This study describes the associations of joint contracture categories and sites in elderly residents in long-term care facilities with their quality of life, activities, and participation.

Methods

Elderly individuals with joint contractures who were residents in long-term care facilities were recruited. The World Health Organization (WHO) Quality of Life and the WHO Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 were used to survey the participants. Correlations, multiple linear regressions, and multiple analyses of variance, with joint contractures as the response variable, were used in the statistical analysis.

Results

The final statistical analysis included 232 participants. The explanatory power of contracture sites on activities and participation had a moderate strength of association (η2 = .113). Compared with elderly residents with joint contractures and osteoarthritis isolated to the upper limbs, those with joint contractures and osteoarthritis in both the upper and lower limbs had significantly worse activity and participation limitations. No significant differences in activity and participation were found between elderly residents with joint contractures affecting only the upper limbs and those with joint contractures affecting only the lower limbs (F1,226 = 2.604 and F1,226 = 0.674, nonsignificant). Osteoarthritis had the greatest impact on activity limitations and participation restrictions among elderly residents with joint contractures affecting both the upper and lower limbs (F1,226 = 6.251, p = .014).

Conclusions

Elderly residents in long-term care facilities belonging to minority groups, with a history of stroke, and with osteoarthritis are at a high risk of developing activity limitations and participation restrictions. Moreover, compared with other contraction sites, regardless of osteoarthritis, joint contractures affecting both the upper and lower limbs were associated with the greatest activity limitations and participation restrictions.

Trial registration

This study has been registered in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, registration number and date:ChiCTR2000039889 (13/11/2020).

Flexion contracture is a risk factor for knee osteoarthritis incidence, progression and earlier arthroplasty: Data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative

BACKGROUND

Knee joint osteoarthritis (OA) is often accompanied by flexion contracture (FC), but the impact of FC on important outcomes across the spectrum of OA, such as the incidence, progression and need for total knee arthroplasty (TKA), is not well established.

OBJECTIVE

We evaluated whether the presence and/or severity of knee FC were risk factors for worse OA clinical outcomes, radiographic incidence and progression as well as time to TKA.

METHODS

We evaluated longitudinal 9-year data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI) database for 3 sub-cohorts: at-risk of knee OA (n=3284), radiographically established knee OA (n=1390), and low-risk controls (n=122). We classified knee FC as none, mild, moderate or severe based on knee extension at enrolment. Knee OA outcomes were extracted from the database.

RESULTS

FC was present in 32.4% of knees. Participants with FC had increased knee OA incidence with joint space narrowing in the definition (corrected odds ratio 1.31 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.04-1.64]). The Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) scores for pain, stiffness and function were worse with than without FC at nearly all times (p<0.001). Effect estimates were significant for all 3 WOMAC sub-scales comparing FC to no FC (pain: 0.15 [95% CI 0.02-0.28], stiffness: 0.11 [0.05-0.18], function: 0.49 [0.05-0.93]). Individuals with knee FC had higher Kellgren and Lawrence grade (effect size 0.31 [95% CI 0.25-0.37]) and were more likely to undergo TKA (corrected odds ratio 1.37 [95% CI 1.10-1.71]) than those without FC. All outcomes were worse with increasing FC severity.

CONCLUSION

The presence of knee FC at enrolment was a risk factor for radiographic OA incidence including joint space narrowing, worse clinical outcomes, radiographic progression and the need for early TKA. Treatment of knee FC may represent an option across the OA spectrum. Further research is needed to evaluate the pathophysiology, joint structure alterations and longitudinal impact of treating FC in individuals with knee OA.

Effectiveness of stretching and bracing for the treatment of osteoarthritis-associated joint contractures prior to joint replacement: a systematic review protocol

INTRODUCTION

Many patients with osteoarthritis (OA) develop restrictions in passive range of motion (ROM) of their affected joints (called contractures), leading to increased pain and reduced function. Effective treatment to reverse OA-associated contractures is lacking. Our aim is to evaluate the effectiveness of stretching and bracing on native (non-operated) joint contractures in people with radiographically diagnosed OA.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

We will search the following databases without time restriction: Cochrane Library (CENTRAL, Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects, Health Technology Assessment Database), MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, SCI-EXPANDED (ISI Web of Knowledge) and PEDro. Other sources will include WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform, reference lists of included studies, relevant systematic reviews and textbooks. We will include randomised controlled trials (RCTs), controlled clinical trials, controlled before-and-after studies, cohort studies and case-control studies that include participants ≥18 years of age with radiographic evidence of OA. Participants with inflammatory arthropathies or those that have undergone joint arthroplasty will be excluded. Interventions will include therapist-administered or patient-administered stretching, use of an orthosis (static or dynamic), use of serial casting and/or adjunctive modalities. Outcomes will include joint ROM (active and passive), pain (rest and/or activity related), stiffness, activity limitations, participation restrictions, quality of life and adverse events. Studies will be reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Study inclusion, data extraction and quality assessment will be performed independently by two reviewers. Risk of bias will be assessed using appropriate tools for each study design. Data synthesis will be performed using Cochrane Review Manager software. If sufficient data are available, meta-analysis will be conducted. We will summarise the quality of evidence using Grading of Recommendations Assessment, and the effect size of interventions for RCT and non-RCT studies.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

Ethics approval not required because individual patient data are not included. Findings will be disseminated in a peer-reviewed journal.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER

CRD42019127244.

Clinical outcomes of early active mobilization following flexor tendon repair using the six-strand technique: short- and long-term evaluations

We evaluated the factors influencing outcomes of flexor tendon repair in 112 fingers using a six-strand suture with the Yoshizu #1 technique and early postoperative active mobilization in 101 consecutive patients. A total of 32 fingers had injuries in Zone I, 78 in Zone II, and two in Zone III. The mean follow-up period was 6 months; 16 patients (19 fingers) participated in long-term follow-up of 2 to 16 years. The total active motion was 230° SD 29°; it correlated negatively with age. The total active motion was 231° SD 28° after repair of the lacerated flexor digitorum superficialis tendon, and was 205° SD 37° after excision of the flexor digitorum superficialis tendon ends (p = 0.0093). A total of 19 fingers showed no significant increases in total active motion more than 2 years after surgery. The rupture rate was 5.4% in our patients and related to surgeons' level of expertise. Five out of six ruptured tendons were repaired by inexperienced surgeons. Level of Evidence IV.

Quantification of finger joint loadings using musculoskeletal modelling clarifies mechanical risk factors of hand osteoarthritis

Owing to limited quantitative data related to the loadings (forces and pressures) acting upon finger joints, several clinical observations regarding mechanical risk factors of hand osteoarthritis remain misunderstood. To improve the knowledge of this pathology, the present study used musculoskeletal modelling to quantify the forces and pressures acting upon hand joints during two grasping tasks. Kinematic and grip force data were recorded during both a pinch and a power grip tasks. Three-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging measurements were conducted to quantify joint contact areas. Using these datasets as input, a musculoskeletal model of the hand and wrist, including twenty-three degrees of freedom and forty-two muscles, has been developed to estimate joint forces and joint pressures. When compared with the power grip task, the pinch grip task resulted in two to eight times higher joint loadings whereas the grip forces exerted on each finger were twice lower. For both tasks, joint forces and pressures increased along a disto-proximal direction for each finger. The quantitative dataset provided by the present hand model clarified two clinical observations about osteoarthritis development which were not fully understood, i.e., the strong risk associated to pinch grip tasks and the high frequency of thumb-base osteoarthritis.