Lengthening of knee flexor muscles by percutaneous needle tenotomy: Description of the technique and preliminary results.

Background: Knee flexion contractures occur frequently in non-ambulatory, aged persons and persons with central nervous system lesions, rendering positioning and nursing care difficult. There are often risks associated with surgical interventions.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of percutaneous needle tenotomy to lengthen the knee flexor muscles and improve passive function.

An alternative treatment for contractures of the elderly institutionalized persons: Microinvasive percutaneous needle tenotomy of the finger flexors.

Background: Almost 10% of older adults in nursing homes have a fixed flexion deformity of the fingers (claw hand). Such contractures have important functional consequences, often leading to hygiene difficulties. Medical treatment (such as botulinum toxin injections, physiotherapy or positioning) is not always effective and surgery is often not possible in such fragile patients.