This answers all my questions! Patients who have a flexion contracture after surgery usually need a cleaning out of scar tissue and need to be carefully assessed for a possible arthroscopic posterior capsular release. The general recommendation is to gently try to bend the knee in cases of arthrofibrosis prior to arthroscopic  surgery and determine where the stiffness is located, then perform an appropriate scar tissue release and work on manipulating the knee after the scar tissue has been released to try to minimize any risk of fracture or significant scar tissue reformation. Arthrofibrosis is the pathologic stiffening of a joint caused by an exaggerated inflammatory response. Post op complications such as infection, excessive inflammation or a haemarthrosis, The rehabilitation; poor adherence, not getting the right advice, late mobilisation. Arthrofibrosis of the knee technically means that there is  decreased motion of the knee due to scar tissue. Prevention is the most effective means of avoiding the devastating consequences of... Postoperative Bracing. Initial nonsurgical management, including compression, elevation, and physical therapy, can decrease knee … Types of arthrofibrosis of the knee. However, if there is no immediate need for surgery, working on trying to improve someone’s motion when it is stiff may be beneficial to decrease the chance of the development of arthrofibrosis. Hey - if he is good enough for Olympic and professional athletes…..he's good enough for me! The swelling associated with arthrofibrosis is a swelling in the soft tissues around the knee, giving a sensation of tissue bogginess or edema. One would also look for evidence of osteoarthritis to include joint space narrowing and bone spurs. This slowly contracts and the joint capsule thickens and slowly contracts. What is Arthrofibrosis? What are they and can physio help?? These joints can include … Arthrofibrosis, or stiff knee syndrome, occurs when an excessive amount of scar tissue forms around the knee joint. If you have been diagnosed with this condition, rehabilitation for it - whether this be post-operative or non-surgical - should be approached cautiously and appropriately. As a common complication following total knee arthroplasty (TKA), this benign-appearing connective tissue hyperplasia can cause significant disability among patients because the concomitant knee … Since we do not know why patients form knee arthrofibrosis in all circumstances, there may be a genetic predisposition to it that we do not have the ability to recognize presently. Tendinopathy or Tendinitis? I was life flighted to MCR in Loveland, CO. My orthopedic injuries were severe, but totally missesd by the orthopedic team at Poudre. The treatments for arthrofibrosis of a total knee replacement can include prolonged therapy, the use of stretching braces to try to improve straightening or bending of the knee, bringing the patient to surgery and bending their knee while they are asleep, or proceeding with an arthroscopic surgery to clean out scar tissue. One must however remember that this is a rare condition and loss of knee extension or flexion does not always mean arthrofibrosis is the cause. It is always worth considering arthrofibrosis as a potential diagnosis for patient struggling to regain their knee movement following the incidence of trauma or surgery. The treatment for knee arthrofibrosis varies from observation, the use of bracing, physical therapy, and surgery. In patients who have developed knee arthrofibrosis after an injury or surgery, one needs to make sure that the timing of surgery is correct such that one does not cause injury to a damaged ligament or healing fracture or a surgical repair or reconstruction. Arthrofibrosis (from Greek: arthro- joint, fibr- fibrous and -osis abnormality) is an inflammatory condition that leads to the production of excessive scar tissue in or around major joints. If the patient lacks straightening of the knee, cleaning out scar tissue in the front of the knee, and performing an arthroscopic notchplasty to enlarge the size of the intercondylar notch, especially when there are bone spurs present, can be effective to restore extension. Eagan, MN 55121, I struggled with my knee for 18 months - having gone from 10,000 steps a day to only walking as needed. 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