Adequate range of knee motion is critical for successful total knee arthroplasty. While aggressive physical therapy is an important component, manipulation may be a necessary supplement. There seems to be a lack of consensus with variable practices existing in managing stiff postoperative knees following arthroplasty. Hence we did a postal questionnaire survey to determine the current practice and trend among knee surgeons throughout the United Kingdom.

A postal questionnaire was sent out to 100 knee surgeons registered with British Association of Knee Surgeons ensuring that the whole of United Kingdom was well represented. The questions among others included whether the surgeon used Manipulation Under Anaesthaesia (MUA) as an option for stiff postoperative knees; timing of MUA; use of Continuous Passive Motion (CPM) post-manipulation.

We received 82 responses. 46.3% of the respondents performed MUA routinely, 42.6% sometimes, and 10.9% never. Majority (71.2%) performed MUA within 3 months of the index procedure. 67.5% routinely used CPM post-manipulation while 7.3% of the respondents applied splints or serial cast post MUA. 41.5% of the surgeons routinely used Patient Controlled Analgaesia +/− Regional blocks. Majority (54.8%) never performed open/arthroscopic debridement of fibrous tissue for adhesiolysis.

Knee manipulation requires an additional anaesthetic and may result in complications such as: supracondylar femur fractures, wound dehiscence, patellar tendon avulsions, haemarthrosis, and heterotopic ossification. Moreover studies have shown that manipulation while being an important therapeutic adjunct does not increase the ultimate flexion that can be achieved which is determined by more dominant factors such as preoperative flexion and diagnosis. Manipulation should be reserved for the patient who has difficult and painful flexion in the early postoperative period.

Twenty-five Regnauld’s procedures were performed in 20 patients with painful hallux valgus. This procedure involves the removal of proximal one-third of the proximal phalanx which is fashioned into a ‘hat-shaped graft’ and replaced as an osteochondral autogenous graft. The average age at operation was 56 years (range 39–76). After a mean follow-up of 3 years, 4 months (range 2.5–5.7 years), all the patients were assessed clinically and radiologically. The mean hallux valgus angle preoperatively was 29.3° (range 20–50°). At follow-up, a mean correction of 16.9° was obtained. In our study, 92% of patients were satisfied with the operation, but 8 patients (40%) showed progression of osteoarthritis of the first metatarsophalangeal joint. At 10 year follow up all these patient are satisfied with procedure and doing well. In view of the high incidence of degenerative changes in the first metatarsophalangeal joint, this procedure should be reserved for those patients over the age of 65 years or those with early osteoarthritic changes in the first metatarsophalangeal joint.