1Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Breach Candy Hospital, Mumbai, India.
Address for correspondence: Dr Arun Mullaji The Arthritis Clinic 101, Cornelian, Kemp's Corner, Cumballa Hill, Mumbai-400036 India Tel: +91(22) 23856161 Fax: +91(22) 23876110 Email: arunmullaji@hotmail.com
Various modalities are available for perioperative pain management in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) including periarticular infiltration of an “analgesic cocktail”. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of periarticular injection with clonidine on postoperative pain scores and functional recovery following TKA.
In this prospective randomized controlled study involving 150 consecutive TKAs (104 patients), patients were allotted to 3 groups consisting of control group A (no periarticular infiltration), group B (infiltration without clonidine) and group C (infiltration with clonidine). All the 3 groups were compared in terms of pain, length of hospital stay and rehabilitative milestones during the immediate postoperative period.
In group A, length of hospital stay, mean visual analogue pain scores, straight leg raising and extensor lag at the time of discharge and time for stick ambulation after surgery was significantly different compared to the other two groups whereas it was no different when group B and group C were compared.
Addition of clonidine to the periarticular injection provided no significant additional benefit in terms of postoperative pain and functional recovery following TKA.
total knee arthroplasty, periarticular infiltration, clonidine, analgesia
