Short-term results of soft tissue balance obtained with 'manual gap balancing' in varus knees; a prospective study supported by gait analysis

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the contribution of medial ligament release using the manual gap balance method in patients with varus deformity to alignment and functional outcomes. Materials and Methods: The study included 14 female and 8 male patients who underwent total knee arthroplasty. Telemetric radiographs of the lower extremities and valgus stress radiographs of the knees to be operated on were taken for each patient one day before and 1.5 months after the operation. The functional evaluation of patients was conducted using the HSS (Hospital for Special Surgery, 1970) scoring system. Simultaneously, gait analyses were conducted. The patients were divided into groups based on their stress radiographs. Results: The mean valgus angle in postoperative static radiographs was 2.5 degrees. A statistically significant change in rotational deformity was observed in both swing and stance phases after surgery compared to preoperative values. Improvement in coronal plane varus knees was statistically significant. No significant change was found in the flexion-extension angles of sagittal plane kinematics. It was found that there was a statistically significant difference in the data for single support, double support, and stance percentage (p