Does limb preconditioning reduce pain after total knee arthroplasty? A randomized, double-blind study

This report has been verified by one or more authors of the original publication.

60 patients scheduled to receive unilateral TKA under tourniquet, were randomly assigned into 1 of 2 groups to determine the effect ischemic preconditioning had on postoperative pain, pain medication consumption, local inflammatory markers, and length of stay. Patients either partook in a preconditioning process before surgical intervention or received no preconditioning intervention at all. The results of this study indicated that those who took part in the preconditioning procedure prior to surgery experienced significantly less pain postoperatively at rest and during exercise, but demonstrated no difference in analgesic consumption when compared to the control. No differences were apparent between groups regarding muscle oxygenation, intraarticular levels of IL-6 and TNF-alpha, prothrombotic markers, or hospitalization length.