Thigh Pain After Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA)

This research study will be a randomized study in which patients volunteer participate. "Randomized" means the patients who received the new treatment are chosen at random, similar to flipping a coin. Several factors have been identified as possible sources of thigh pain after surgery: use of a tourniquet around the thigh to control bleeding during surgery; use of an intramedullary rod during surgery or quadriceps muscle strain. Participants will be randomized into surgical groups that use/do not use a tourniquet and use/do not use intramedullary rod during surgery. A subset of participants in all surgical groups will have a MRI to look for quadriceps muscle strain.

Inclusion criteria

• Subjects undergoing total knee arthroplasty for osteoarthritis
• Adult patients (age 18 years or older)
• Written informed consent
• Ability to speak, read and write English or Spanish

Exclusion criteria

• Inability to speak, read and write English or Spanish
• Evidence of malignant disorder/neoplasm in past 60 months
• Contraindication for removal of infrapatellar fat pad
• History of smoking and not committed to give up
• Chronic skin conditions
• Connective, metabolic or skin disease
• Evidence of active infection
• Pregnancy or lactating for female subjects
• Current corticosteroid use
• Immunosuppressive medication
• Renal failure (creatine > 1.8 mg/dL)
• Hepatic failure (AST, ALT > 2x normal values; bilirubin > 2 mg/dL)
• Inflammatory joint diseases of the knee that indicate additional, conflating therapies
• Joint infection within the past 6 months
• No prisoners or mentally disabled persons
• No Workers' Compensation cases