The effect of a preoperative education class on the rate of manipulation under anesthesia after total knee arthroplasty in a veterans population

BACKGROUND: Arthrofibrosis after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a common complication, potentially occurring in up to 25% of patients, and may be treated during the early recovery period by manipulation under anesthesia (MUA). The majority of preoperative factors that predispose patients to postoperative stiffness are patient specific and not modifiable. The United States Veteran Affairs is a particularly challenging group given a higher baseline rate of medical comorbidities and opioid dependence than the general population. Patient education about postoperative expectations and complications has been shown to improve outcomes in certain orthopedic procedures. This retrospective study aims to determine if preoperative counseling for veterans undergoing primary TKA reduces the rate of postoperative stiffness, and consequently MUA, in this subset of patients. METHODS: We evaluated the medical records of 244 veterans at a single veteran affairs hospital who underwent 278 TKAs during a 6-year period under one surgeon. Patients were separated into groups based on attendance in the preoperative counseling session. Effects of various factors, including age, sex, body mass index, preoperative knee range of motion, and history of previous knee surgery, were compared between these 2 cohorts. RESULTS: Attendance in the preoperative course did not have a statistically significant impact on the rate of manipulation (odds ratio [OR], 1.07). Female gender and prior manipulation had an increased OR of knee manipulation, whereas age > 65 years had a decreased OR that did not reach significance. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that preoperative counseling did not have a benefit in terms of postoperative MUA rates in veterans. Preoperative education may be helpful for setting appropriate expectations of pain, recovery, and function after total joint arthroplasty and may be useful in an online or video format in small practices in which cost may be prohibitive. Further studies are needed to determine whether they provide any benefit in postoperative arthrofibrosis rates.