| Objective: To investigate the effect of manual lymphatic drainage (MLD) on pain, swelling and joint dysfunction after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Methods: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, CNKI, Scopus, Wanfang Database, VIP and CBM were searched until December 2021 and randomized controlled trials (RCT) on MLD after TKA were selected. The included studies were assessed for risk quality using the Cochrane Manual 5.1.0 by two reviewers and analyzed statistically using Review Manager 5.3 after data extraction. Results: A total of 430 patients were included in 7 RCT. Meta-analysis showed that MLD reduced pain ［WMD=-0.36, 95%CI: -0.58 -0.13, P=0.002］ and thigh circumference ［WMD=-1.25, 95%CI: -1.99 -0.50, P=0.001］ after TKA, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). However, in the improvement of knee circumference ［WMD=-0.24, 95%CI: -1.30 -0.83, P=0.66］, calf circumference ［WMD=-0.22, 95%CI: -0.86 -0.42, P=0.51］, knee flexion passive range of motion (PROM) ［WMD=1.96, 95%CI: -1.31-5.24, P=0.24］, there was no significant difference. Conclusion: Compared with conventional treatment, MLD may have an advantage on the pain and thigh swelling after TKA surgery. But in terms of knee swelling, calf swelling and knee flexion mobility, the adjuvant treatment may exist. This conclusion still needs more high quality and large sample RCT to further verify. |
