If you or someone close to you is facing a corrective osteotomy, you are certainly looking for information about it. There is nothing wrong with that. It’s normal to want to know more and seek knowledge from proven sources. In this article, we will explain what a corrective osteotomy is, when it is performed and what its consequences are.
Modern method
Osteotomy is a very innovative surgical treatment. It involves incising the bone at an appropriate angle and inserting a bio-plate to mechanically correct the abnormality. The idea is to reconstruct the normal bone structure (to eliminate the staggers or valgus) and allow the patient to return to physical fitness. Corrective osteotomy can be performed on various parts of the body – the knee, hip, jaw, hallux and even the nose.
Under the colloquial name of knee osteotomy fall several procedures – patellar osteotomy and popliteal osteotomy, or corrective osteotomy of the tibia or femur. Both of these treatments take place in the knee joint area and can affect its performance.
When is a knee osteotomy performed?
It may seem peculiar, but popliteal osteotomy is a procedure that is most often recommended for physically active people between the ages of 40 and 50. That’s when degenerative and overloading changes resurface. This problem manifests itself in pain when moving and when performing physical activities that previously went smoothly. Initially, knee injections and rehabilitation are used. If that doesn’t work, then osteotomy comes into play. Here it should be noted that this procedure is less invasive than the insertion of a knee endoprosthesis and is performed when the condition of the knee is not yet of great concern.
People with obesity, diabetes, osteoporosis, rheumatoid disease, nicotine addiction and over 60 years of age cannot undergo osteotomy. These contraindications mean that osteotomy is actually targeted at a fairly narrow range of people.
What does the treatment look like?
A corrective osteotomy is preceded by a speculum arthroscopy. It allows to assess the condition of the joint from the inside. The doctor can look at the joint and determine whether an osteotomy is enough and how it should be performed. His task is also to calculate the exact angle at which the bone should be set. The procedure itself takes place under continuous X-ray guidance, allowing the doctor to determine the appropriate incision sites. The procedure itself takes up to 90 minutes. The first exercises and rehabilitation can be started on the second day after the procedure. That’s when it’s the best time to reach for CPM splints, which enable Continuous Passive Motion therapy. This is the most effective therapy that can be introduced even before the patient leaves the hospital. Specialists estimate that with properly managed rehabilitation, a patient can return to physical activity – including running – in as little as three months after a corrective osteotomy.
