Unloader knee braces for osteoarthritis: do patients actually wear them?

Background: Unloader braces are a nonsurgical approach for predominantly unicompartmental knee arthritis. Although noninvasive, braces are expensive and it is unclear whether clinical factors, if any, will predict regular brace use.

Questions/purposes: We asked: (1) Do patients continue to use the unloader brace more than 1 year after it is prescribed? (2) Do any clinical or radiographic factors predict continued use of the unloader brace after the first year? (3) What are the most common subjective reasons that patients give for discontinuing the brace?

Methods: We administered 110 surveys to all patients who were fitted for unloader knee braces for predominantly unicompartmental osteoarthritis 12 to 40 months before administration of the survey.

Is minimally invasive total knee arthroplasty associated with lower costs than traditional TKA?

Background: Studies of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) approaches to TKA have shown decreased postoperative pain, earlier return to function, and shorter lengths of stay in the hospital. However, it is unclear whether these differences translate into decreased costs or charges associated with care.

Questions/purposes: We asked whether a minimally invasive approach to TKA is associated with lower inpatient charges and direct inpatient costs than the traditional approach.

Minimally invasive total knee arthroplasty compared with traditional total knee arthroplasty. Assessment of the learning curve and the postoperative recuperative period.

Background: There is disagreement about whether so-called minimally invasive approaches result in faster recovery following total knee arthroplasty. It is also unknown whether patients are exposed to excess risk during the surgeon's learning curve. We hypothesized that a minimally invasive quadriceps-sparing approach to total knee arthroplasty would allow earlier clinical recovery but would require longer operative times and compromise component alignment during the learning period compared with a traditional medial parapatellar approach.