Short rotator tendons do not increase intracapsular pressure in severe osteoarthritic hips.
BACKGROUND
While a relation between pain and intracapsular pressure in the hip joint has previously been reported by some of the present authors, a newly published study including patients with severe osteoarthritis was not able to confirm this finding. This stimulated us to investigate the role of short rotators in relation to intracapsular pressure and pain in osteoarthritic hips.


METHODS
We measured the intracapsular hydrostatic pressure peroperatively in 25 total hip arthroplasty patients with severe osteoarthritis in various positions of the hip joint before and after short rotator release, and correlated these pressures to pain.


RESULTS
Release of the short rotators did not change the intracapsular pressure in any position except in 45 degrees flexion, in which the pressure increased (p = 0.002). We found no correlation between intracapsular pressure and pain before or after short rotator release.


CONCLUSIONS
We could not show that the rotators directly affected the pressure nor could we find a relation between pressure and pain.
Tarasevicius
Sarunas
S
Department of Orthopedics, Lund University Hospital, Lund, Sweden. sarunas.tarasevicius@med.lu.se
Gelmanas
Arunas
A
Smailys
Alfredas
A
Robertsson
Otto
O
Wingstrand
Hans
H
D018771:Arthralgia / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery; D015984:Causality; D018450:Disease Progression; D006621:Hip Joint / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D006874:Hydrostatic Pressure / Q000009:adverse effects; D017746:Joint Capsule / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D019637:Orthopedic Procedures; D015207:Osteoarthritis, Hip / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery; D011182:Postoperative Care; D011300:Preoperative Care; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular / Q000502:physiology; D013582:Synovial Fluid / Q000502:physiology; D013583:Synovial Membrane / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D013710:Tendons / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016896:Treatment Outcome