Knee Pathology before and after SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic: An Analysis of 1139 Patients

Simple Summary</p> The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic drastically changed daily life activities and medical practice and a total reorganization of healthcare activities was required. People changed their daily habits and undertook a more sedentary lifestyle, leading to significant consequences in knee pathologies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the outpatient activity for knee pathologies before and after lockdown, in order to understand better which kind of pathologies orthopedic field is going to face. Further studies are required to validate this result with more in-depth clinical and radiological elements and to evaluate any differences in surgical treatment.</p> Background: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic drastically changed daily life activities and medical practice, leading to a reorganization of healthcare activities. People spent two months in home-isolation, changing their daily habits and undertaking a more sedentary lifestyle. Change in lifestyle is related to important consequences in knee pathologies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the outpatient activity for knee pathologies before and after lockdown in terms of incidence, severity, diagnosis, and treatment. Methods: Medical records of patients with knee pathology in outpatient follow-up at IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Galeazzi in Milan (Italy) were analyzed in the time frame 4 May-4 September 2020 and compared with patients examined between 4 May and 4 September 2019. Results: A significant increase of knee diagnoses associated to patellofemoral disorders in 2020 was found (p = 0.004). In addition, physiotherapy was significantly more prescribed in 2020 than in 2019 (p = 0.012). Conclusions: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic lockdown did not drastically change knee pathology, but it may have had an impact on it, highlighting a summary worsening of patellofemoral disorders associated with other knee diagnoses. Further studies are required to validate this result.</p>