Early rehabilitation management strategy for septic arthritis of the knee

Abstract

Objectives: Early rehabilitation management of septic arthritis in the native knee is not standardized. In this context, it is necessary to develop and validate an early rehabilitation strategy.

Materiel and methods: Based on the formalized HAS consensus method, a 4-phase rehabilitation strategy has been developed: recovery of joint amplitudes, muscle recovery without resistance, recovery with technical aid (crutches, canes), continuation of the rehabilitation (pursuit of muscle, articular, proprioceptive and endurance recovery).

Results: It was submitted to the opinion of multidisciplinary experts (PMR, general practitioner, rheumatologist, infectiologist, orthopedic surgeon, physiotherapist). Nearly 80% of the items were directly validated, with only five items scoring less than 5/10. Modifications were made in order to obtain a final version of the protocol.

Conclusion: Use of a rigorous methodology enabled a consensual strategy for early rehabilitation management to be developed. Prospective validation of this strategy is needed to confirm its feasibility and effectiveness.

Keywords: Early mobilization; Knee; Physiotherapy; Rehabilitation; Septic arthritis.