Abstract: Objective: To analyze the effectiveness of functional taping combined with Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD) in joint rehabilitation for patients undergoing Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA), to provide a reference for the rapid rehabilitation of postoperative joint function. Methods: Using convenience sampling, patients admitted to a tertiary grade A hospital in Zhenjiang undergoing TKA were selected as study subjects. Patients admitted from July to December 2022 were assigned to the control group (35 cases), who received routine nursing care after TKA. Patients admitted from January to June 2023 were assigned to the combined intervention group (34 cases), received additional functional taping combined with MLD on the basis of routine care, functional taping was applied once daily for 7 days, and MLD was performed twice daily for 7 days. The limb swelling value, swelling reduction rate, Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) score, inflammatory maker, and time to first ambulation were compared between the two groups. Results: On the 7th day after surgery, the swelling value [(1.66±0.81) cm] and NRS score [(2.11±0.62) points] of patients in the combined treatment group were both lower than those of the control group [(2.59±0.84) cm and (2.65±0.75) points], respectively. Meanwhile, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level [(15.74±10.22) mg/L] was lower than that of the control group [(24.34±15.00) mg/L], and the time to first ambulation [(42.29±7.50) h] was shorter than that of the control group [(66.23±8.01) h]. The swelling reduction rate was higher in the combined treatment group [(76.79±11.73) %] than in the control group [(63.85±14.44) %]. All the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). Conclusion: Functional taping combined with MLD can further alleviate lower limb swelling and pain, reduce inflammatory response, and accelerate knee joint functional recovery in patients after TKA, making it worthy of clinical promotion and application.

Key words: Manual Lymphatic Drainage; functional taping; Total Knee Arthroplasty; swelling value; pain; inflammatory marker; rehabilitation