Changes in Load Distribution in the Knee After Opening-Wedge or Closing-Wedge High Tibial Osteotomy

• Published in: The Journal of arthroplasty Vol. 24; no. 1; pp. 101 - 109
• Main Authors: Ogden, Steven, MD, Mukherjee, Debi P., ScD, Keating, Michael E., MD, Ogden, Alan L., BSME, Albright, James A., MD, McCall, Richard E., MD
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 2009
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Biomechanical Phenomena; biomechanical study; closing-wedge osteotomy; high tibial osteotomy; Humans; Joint Instability; knee; Knee Joint - physiology; load transfer; Male; Middle Aged; opening-wedge osteotomy; Orthopedics; Osteoarthritis, Knee - surgery; Osteotomy - instrumentation; Osteotomy - methods; Tibia - surgery; Weight-Bearing - physiology; knee; closing-wedge osteotomy; opening-wedge osteotomy; biomechanical study; high tibial osteotomy; load transfer
• ISSN: 0883-5403; 1532-8406
• DOI: 10.1016/j.arth.2008.01.303

Abstract The treatment of unicompartmental osteoarthritis of the knee by high tibial osteotomy has been carried out by closing-wedge osteotomy. The advantages for opening-wedge osteotomy are ease of procedure and improved correction with comparable short-term to midterm results. It is not known how the opening-wedge high tibial osteotomy procedure alters the load distribution between the medial and lateral compartments of the knee. The current biomechanical study investigated opening-wedge vs closing-wedge osteotomies in 5 pairs of cadaver knees. The results showed that at 5° osteotomy, the closing-wedge provided superior results of load transfer from medial to lateral compartment than that seen with opening-wedge, but at 10° osteotomy, there was no significant difference in load transfer in the knee compartments between the 2 surgery modes.