Causes, symptoms and complications of the medial meniscus
Related articles:
-
Image -
Image -
Image -
Image -
Image
The main function of the medial meniscus of the knee joint is to correctly redistribute the load on the bones of the lower extremities and maintain stability in the knee joint.
Causes of damage to the medial meniscus of the knee joint
Despite the fact that the medial meniscus of the knee joint is less mobile than the lateral one, it is injured much more often. A sudden change in body position with a relatively fixed ankle can lead to injuries, as well as unsuccessful turns, too much load with excess body weight.
Injuries to the medial meniscus often occur in athletes, especially in football players, basketball players, tennis players. Meniscus damage can occur quite by accident in the most ordinary people; according to statistics, men suffer from this disease 2.5 times more often than women.
Symptoms of damage to the medial meniscus of the knee joint
Damage to the medial meniscus is characterized by the instant appearance of acute pain immediately after injury, the knee joint noticeably increases in size due to edema. In severe cases, there may be blockade of the joint, that is, the joint may simply wedge in one position.
The patient can rarely move independently, as a rule, he needs outside help. If the leg is in a bent position, the person almost does not feel pain or feels mild, but when trying to straighten the leg, the pain instantly intensifies. 2-3 weeks after the injury, in the absence of proper treatment, you can independently feel the joint cavity enlarged due to effusion and infiltration.
When extending the limb, you can hear a characteristic click sound.
For chronic damage to the medial meniscus, the main symptom is a dull pain in the knee, aggravated by going down. If the patient complains of repeated permanent blockages of the joint, then they speak of chronic damage to the meniscus, which is usually accompanied by inflammation of the periarticular bag.
Diagnosis of damage to the medial meniscus of the knee joint
For the diagnosis of damage to the medial meniscus of the knee joint, the X-ray method, as well as ultrasound, are ineffective due to the transparency of the meniscus for X-rays and ultrasound. They are carried out mainly to make sure there are no fractures.
Damage to the meniscus is well identified by magnetic resonance imaging or endoscopic arthroscopy - examination of the inner surface of the joint using modern endoscopic equipment, in conjunction with careful questioning of the patient and physical examination of the site of injury.
Treatment of damage to the medial meniscus of the knee joint
Emergency care consists of pain relief, fixation of the damaged joint in a motionless state and immediate hospitalization.
In the absence of a fracture, the hematoma (accumulated blood in the cavity) is removed using a puncture of the knee joint and the resulting blockade is removed. It is imperative to apply a tight bandage with an elastic bandage and local application of cold in the first hours after the injury. It is recommended to keep the limb in an elevated state and, in case of severe damage, immobilization is prescribed for 10 days.
If the damage is severe, then on examination there is muscle hypotrophy on the injured limb, sharp pain when probing the joint space, positive symptoms inherent in this disease (click and roll symptom).
As a rule, this is a direct indication for surgery, the meniscus is sutured surgically at rupture or the damaged part is resected. In the postoperative period, a plaster splint is applied to the patient or the limb is fixed with a tight bandage.
Physiotherapy and regular exercise therapy bring good results.
Complications of damage to the medial meniscus of the knee joint
If all of the above symptoms are typical for the clinic of acute damage to the medial meniscus, then over time, when a person returns to normal life, including sports, symptoms of a chronic nature appear.
As a consequence of acute trauma, severe pain occurs in the damaged area, there may be sudden blockages without clinical manifestations of hemarthrosis. With physical exertion, these manifestations become pronounced and create certain inconveniences for a person, that is, they negatively affect the quality of life.
The damaged area of the meniscus as a result of injury contributes to the rapid wear of the articular cartilage, which often ends in osteoporosis with the inevitable progression of the disease.
Article author: Mochalov Pavel Alexandrovich | d. m. n. therapist
Education: Moscow Medical Institute. IM Sechenov, specialty - "General Medicine" in 1991, in 1993 "Occupational Diseases", in 1996 "Therapy".
