Risk of Postoperative Stiffness Following Multiligamentous Knee Injury Surgery Is Not Affected by Obesity: A Multicenter Study

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between obesity and postoperative stiffness following surgical management of multiligamentous knee injuries (MLKIs) using a large two-center cohort, by both 1) using binary cutoffs at various body mass indexes (BMIs) and 2) a linear regression model. Methods: 190 consecutive patients who underwent surgical management of MLKIs between January 2001 and March 2020 were reviewed at two level 1 academic trauma centers. Patient demographics, surgical characteristics, and manipulation under anesthesia (MUA)/lysis of adhesions (LOA) were reviewed. Patients were stratified by obesity grades: grade 1 (BMI 30 to <35) grade 2 (BMI 35 to <40); grade 3 (BMI >40), and compared with a nonobese comparison group with BMI <30. Multivariate logistic regressions were performed, including the covariates of age, gender, BMI, acute versus chronic injury, external fixator, vascular injury, knee dislocation, and Schenck Classification. Fisher's exact test was used to compare rate of MUA between grades of obesity. Analyses were performed with R. Statistical significance was set at P