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Recovery of lower extremity muscle strength and functional performance in middle-aged patients undergoing arthroscopic partial meniscectomy

  • Knee
  • Published:
Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy Aims and scope

Abstract

Purpose

To investigate lower extremity muscle strength and functional performance before and after arthroscopic partial meniscectomy in middle-aged patients with degenerative meniscal tears. We hypothesized that patients would experience deficiencies in the affected leg at 3 months post-surgery, and that this deficiency would be normalized at 12 months following surgery.

Methods

Twenty-three patients (46 ± 6.5 years) meniscectomized in 2012 and 2013 were examined for knee extension, knee flexion, and hip abduction maximal isometric muscle strength (iMVC), rate of force development (RFD200), and knee function (single-leg hop for distance and single-leg knee bends in 30 s.) before surgery, 3 and 12 months after surgery.

Results

Functional performance, knee extension iMVC and RFD200 were impaired in the affected leg compared to the contralateral leg (p < 0.05) prior to surgery. A significant (Knee extension RFD200, p = 0.033) or borderline significant improvement was observed in the affected leg compared to the contralateral leg from before to 12 months after surgery in most variables (leg × time interaction, n.s.).

Conclusion

Middle-aged patients undergoing surgery for degenerative medial meniscal tears show significant reductions in muscle strength, rapid force production, and functional performance in the leg undergoing surgery compared to the contralateral leg prior to surgery. These deficits in muscle strength and knee function were still present at 3 months post-surgery but were no longer observed at 12 months following surgery.

Level of evidence

III.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to acknowledge the efforts of the participating patients, Dennis Brandborg Nielsen MSc for help with data collection and the Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Odense University Hospital (Odense and Svendborg), Lillebaelt Hospital (Kolding), Orthopedic Clinic-Funen and nurses Annie-Gam Pedersen and Lene Feldtstedt for assistance with patient recruitment.

Authors’ contributions

Conception and design: JBT, CJ, AHL; data processing and preparation: TG, CJ.; data analysis: TG, JBT.; drafting the article: TG, JBT.; all authors were involved in interpretation of data and in critically reviewing the article, and all authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark

    Tina Ganderup & Jonas B. Thorlund

  2. Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Traumatology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark

    Carsten Jensen & Anders Holsgaard-Larsen

  3. Institute of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark

    Carsten Jensen & Anders Holsgaard-Larsen

Authors
  1. Tina Ganderup
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  2. Carsten Jensen
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  3. Anders Holsgaard-Larsen
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  4. Jonas B. Thorlund
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tina Ganderup.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Funding

This study was supported by an individual post-doctoral grant (JBT) from the Danish Council for Independent Research | Medical Sciences and from funds from The Danish Rheumatism Association and IMK Almene Fond.

Ethical approval

The study was approved by the Ethics committee of the Region of Southern Denmark (ID: 20120006).

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Ganderup, T., Jensen, C., Holsgaard-Larsen, A. et al. Recovery of lower extremity muscle strength and functional performance in middle-aged patients undergoing arthroscopic partial meniscectomy. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc 25, 347–354 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00167-016-4315-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00167-016-4315-7

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