"Accelerated postoperative rehabilitation protocol for Medial Open Wedge High Tibial Osteotomy enhances early return to routine activities"

Objective: The primary objective of this research was to investigate the timeframe required for the resumption of daily activities following medial open wedge high tibial osteotomy (HTO) with accelerated rehabilitation protocol.

Method: ology: This study encompassed a cohort of 26 patients, consisting of 11 males and 15 females, all diagnosed with medial compartment osteoarthritis (grades 2 and 3). Each patient underwent medial open wedge HTO and was subsequently monitored for a minimum period of 8 weeks. Patients were advised to engage in early weight-bearing walking, with or without assistance, based on their comfort levels. The assessment of functionality involved the utilization of the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) score, Katz Index of Independence in Activities of Daily Living (ADL), and Lawton index, performed at intervals of postoperative day 1, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks, and 8 weeks.

Results: The average age of the patients at the time of surgery was 51.5 ± 7.2 years. The mean preoperative VAS score registered at 8.6, which exhibited a substantial reduction to 1.3 at the 8-week postoperative follow-up (p < 0.001). On average, patients were capable of walking with full weight-bearing without any external support at 6.9 weeks post-surgery. The initial preoperative Katz index was tabulated at 6, and within 6 weeks, all patients had successfully regained their pre-surgery functional levels, restoring the Katz index to its original value of 6. In addition, the mean Lawton index both before surgery and at the 8-week postoperative mark remained stable, with no significant variation (n.s.).

Conclusions: The immediate outcomes observed in knee preservation surgery are indeed promising. Within the 8-week timeframe, a majority of patients successfully reinstated their preoperative levels of independence, accompanied by a notable alleviation of pain.