Tibial osteotomy may be an alternative to arthroplasty

In France, knee osteoarthritis, also known as “gonarthrosis”, affects 3% of the population under the age of 45 and 65% of the French population after the age of 65. At present, no treatment can cure this chronic disease. To slow its development and reduce pain, it is advisable to take hygienic-dietary measures (weight loss, rehabilitation, etc.) or take medications (analgesics, anti-arthritis, etc.).

Joint replacement or “Implantation of a knee prosthesis is considered when the knee osteoarthritis is very advanced and has not been relieved by medical treatment”, Refers to health insurance. However, it is possible to resort to another intervention called “tibial osteotomy”, which is a less invasive technique. A study published in the Journal Journal of the Canadian Medical Association (CMAJ). As a reminder, osteotomy corrects the deviation of the axis of the leg by cutting the tibia and fixing it in the correct position to place the leg back in the middle.

Tibial osteotomy delays knee arthroplasty for many years

For the purposes of the work, the researchers conducted a study on 643 patients with osteoarthritis of the knee. 556 of them underwent tibial osteotomy. Scientists have found that 95% of people with this less invasive procedure do not require a knee transplant during the following five tibial osteotomy. “We found that 79% of participants did not require knee replacement surgery within 10 years”, Cited the authors of the study.

Tibial osteotomy is especially suitable for young people with less severe joint damage. “However, these patients also contribute to the osteoarthritis burden of the knee. There is a need for intermediate treatments between ‘non-operative’ treatments and joint replacement. The shortage of these intermediate therapies has been leading patients for many years now. For pain and society, there are significant health costs.” Said Cody Primau, author of the study.