Effect of an Intermittent Eight-hour Joint Fixation Period on Joint Contractures in Rats

[Purpose] It has been shown that an eight-hour joint fixation daily (i.e. for the remaining 16 hours, rats were set free in the cage without joint fixation) for one week induces a joint contracture. The purpose of this study was to investigate the difference between an 8 hours continuous joint fixation and an 8 hours intermittent joint fixation per day (two 4 hours joint fixations) in the development of joint contractures in rats. [Subjects and Methods] The subjects of this study were 34 Wistar rats. On the first day, all of the rats’ right ankle dorsiflexion angles were measured. The right hind limbs of all the rats were fixed in plantar flexion, and then the rats were divided into three groups as follows: Group 1 was in continuous fixation for 24 hours a day; Group 2 was in continuous fixation for 8 hours a day; Group 3 was in intermittent fixation for 8 hours a day. The fixation was performed daily for seven consecutive days. On the last day, ankle dorsiflexion angles of all the rats were measured after the casts had been removed. [Results] The development of joint contractures was statistically significant for Groups 1 and 2. [Conclusion] Our results indicate that 8 hours a day of continuous fixation induces a joint contracture, but 8 hours a day of intermittent fixation does not.