ArticleArthroplasty (London, England)2025
Inflammatory-induced swelling after total knee arthroplasty: Obesity and preoperative joint pain as key predictors.
Article in Arthroplasty (London, England), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Key Inflammatory Pathways, Biomarkers, and Targeted Management Strategies in Primary Total Joint Arthroplasty: A Narrative Review.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2026Review
- Inflammatory phenotypes after total knee arthroplasty: a testable framework for biomarker-stratified enhanced recovery and precision rehabilitation.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveLimited research exists on factors influencing early postoperative swelling after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). This prospective observational cohort study aims to analyze patterns and predictors of early postoperative inflammatory swelling following TKA, informing high-risk screening and interventions.
methodsThis study measured 110 TKA patients' (76.4% female, mean age 69.51 ± 7.46 years) lower limb circumference (10 cm/5 cm above patella, patella, calf, ankle) preoperatively and postoperatively 1-5 days. Variables of interest included body mass index (BMI), preoperative joint pain, postoperative joint and thigh pain, cryotherapy duration, and inflammatory biomarkers.
resultsSwelling peaked proximally at 5 cm above the patella on day 3 (4.16 ± 2.90 cm). Multivariable regression analysis identified BMI as a core predictor of lower limb swelling (P < 0.05), with a 1-unit increase in BMI corresponding to a 0.18-0.24 cm increase in proximal leg circumference. Pain timing was site-specific: swelling 10 cm above the patella was associated with preoperative joint pain on touch (β = 0.184, P = 0.052), calf swelling with postoperative joint pain at rest (β = 0.213, P = 0.022), and ankle swelling with postoperative thigh pain at rest (β = 0.228, P = 0.017). Other factors and inflammatory markers were not significantly associated with swelling (P > 0.05). However, preoperative joint pain during activity correlated with higher white blood cell (WBC) counts (P = 0.012), and postoperative thigh resting pain with elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) levels (P = 0.035).
conclusionEarly postoperative proximal swelling following TKA warrants attention, as chronic pro-inflammatory states in obese patients and the progression of knee osteoarthritis lead to elevated inflammatory levels, exacerbating postoperative swelling. Focus should be placed on high-risk patients with obesity and preoperative joint pain on touch.
trial registrationChiCTR2500098167. Video Abstract.
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