1993 Volume 42 Issue 2 Pages 635-638
We made a retrospective comparison between preoperative ROM of the knee joint and that after one year postoperatively in 82 high tibial osteotomies for the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee. Average improvement in flexion was 1.3 degrees and 4.4 degrees in extension. Postoperative treatment with continuous passive motion produced no statistical difference in improvement in ROM. The posterior tilting angle, which is the angle between the vertical line of the tibial shaft and the contact line of the tibial plateau on lateral X-P, showed a positive relationship to the loss of knee joint extension but was not related to flexion. It appears reasonable to change the posterior tilting angle slightly in order to improve extension in high tibial osteotomies when the knee has a flexion contracture.
