Soft tissue balancing in total knee arthroplasty.

A good outcome in total knee arthroplasty depends on many factors: joint alignment, range of motion, patellar tracking and ligament stability. A correct soft tissue balance keeps the joint aligned in flexion and extension, and therefore constitutes the most important factor for durability of the implant. Indeed, incorrect soft tissue balancing is the primary cause of early implant failure necessitating revision surgery. Soft tissue releases, serving to correct imbalances, are performed until the flexion and extension gaps appear symmetrical and balanced. A knee is considered perfectly balanced when the flexion and extension gaps are perfectly rectangular and all the measurements are absolutely equal.