OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the change in quantitatively scored knee pain during union. DESIGN: This is a retrospective review of prospectively collected data over a 15-year period. SETTING: Academic medical center. PATIENTS: All patients treated with an intramedullary nail were evaluated for knee pain and union. Four hundred twenty-eight patients with 443 tibia fractures were included. INTERVENTION: All tibia fractures were treated with an intramedullary nail. OUTCOMES: Patient-based knee pain was scored from 0 to 3. Fracture union was also graded using a modified Hammer score based on cortical bridging and remodeling. RESULTS: We found a significant inverse association between pain and union score (P < 0.01). In contradistinction, there was not a correlation between time from surgery and pain (P = 0.13). Because union score and time were related, a model was created with both parameters. This model demonstrated a statistical correlation with union score (P < 0.01), but not for time from surgery (P = 0.18). CONCLUSIONS: We postulated that knee pain may correlate with either union or time from surgery. We found a statistically significant, negative correlation between knee pain and fracture union. There was no such association between pain and time from surgery.
OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the change in quantitatively scored knee pain during union. DESIGN: This is a retrospective review of prospectively collected data over a 15-year period. SETTING: Academic medical center. PATIENTS: All patients treated with an intramedullary nail were evaluated for knee pain and union. Four hundred twenty-eight patients with 443 tibia fractures were included. INTERVENTION: All tibia fractures were treated with an intramedullary nail. OUTCOMES: Patient-based knee pain was scored from 0 to 3. Fracture union was also graded using a modified Hammer score based on cortical bridging and remodeling. RESULTS: We found a significant inverse association between pain and union score (P < 0.01). In contradistinction, there was not a correlation between time from surgery and pain (P = 0.13). Because union score and time were related, a model was created with both parameters. This model demonstrated a statistical correlation with union score (P < 0.01), but not for time from surgery (P = 0.18). CONCLUSIONS: We postulated that knee pain may correlate with either union or time from surgery. We found a statistically significant, negative correlation between knee pain and fracture union. There was no such association between pain and time from surgery.
Authors: Andreas Fontalis; Simon Weil; Michael Williamson; James Houston; Tamer Ads; Alex Trompeter Journal: Eur J Orthop Surg Traumatol Date: 2021-01-08