Knee Meniscus
Rupture of the medial and internal knee meniscus, causes and symptoms
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Definition of the knee meniscus
The meniscus is two cartilaginous spacers located in the human knee joint between the femur and the tibia. It is fused with the joint capsule, through the arteries of which its blood supply is carried out.
The meniscus is lateral (external), in the form of a regular semicircle, and medial (internal), reminiscent of the letter C. Between themselves, they are connected by a transverse ligament. The most common knee injury is meniscus tear. What is most interesting, no one is immune from this - even one careless movement can serve as the reason. Removed
The meniscus function is great and it is:
- Amortization of movement (since menisci are twice as elastic as cartilage),
- Articular cartilage protection,
- Reducing friction in cartilage
- Limitation of excess mobility,
- Proprioceptive afferentation (it sends a signal to the brain about the position of the knee joint).
Rupture of the medial and internal knee meniscus
According to various sources, from 60 to 84% of all diseases of the knee joint are caused by meniscus rupture. The outer meniscus grows together well, but the inner one does not grow together at all. there is no blood circulation, and nutrition is carried out due to the circulation of intra-articular fluid.
In men, ruptures occur 2.5-4 times more often than in women. In traumatology, two types of meniscus damage are distinguished: tearing it off the joint capsule and tearing the meniscus body. There are also acute, chronic and chronic ruptures. In addition, there are transverse and longitudinal, complete and incomplete, patchy and fragmented, as well as combined breaks.
Causes of rupture of the medial and internal knee meniscus
Despite the fact that meniscus rupture is the most common injury in athletes, circus and ballet performers, as mentioned earlier, no one is immune from this injury. It can occur even when standing up suddenly, after squatting! Well, who didn't? Also, the cause of the gap can be an unsuccessful landing when jumping on straight legs, a sharp turn of the body with a fixed foot. The conclusion, as you already understood, is this - this can happen to anyone.
Symptoms of rupture of the medial and internal knee meniscus
Symptoms of a ruptured knee meniscus are ambiguous, so it is best to consult an orthopedist right away. The doctor may need to make additional diagnostics. However, there are signs that are common to all and suggest trauma:
- Joint pain
- Difficulty moving your knee
- Joint block (for large gaps),
- Bleeding into the joint (hemarthrosis)
- Inflammation,
- The symptom of a click or roll (when part of the meniscus is torn off),
- Sensory impairment
- Puffiness.
Diagnosis of rupture of the medial and internal knee meniscus
Do not self-medicate! In order to make a correct diagnosis, sometimes it becomes necessary for the following examinations:
- magnetic resonance imaging, which makes it possible to obtain an image in several projections and, which is not unimportant, during this examination, the patient is not exposed to radiation,
- computed tomography examining the object layer by layer, with the subsequent recording of information about the location, composition and size of tissues,
- radiography, more appropriate in some cases than MRI. But only a doctor can determine
- Arthroscopy is a method not only for diagnosis, but also for the treatment of joint diseases by introducing an arthroscope through a micro-incision.
- Ultrasound
In addition, there is a list of tests that allow you to diagnose. But a person who is not familiar with medicine will find it very difficult to figure it out on his own.
Allocate traumatic and degenerative ruptures. The second can happen even during sleep, without any external influence. Such a rupture will manifest itself as pain only in the morning, when a person tries to get out of bed. The choice of treatment depends on the severity of the injury, the size of the gap, the type of injury, the patient's age, level of activity, and the time that has passed since the injury.
Treatment can be conservative or surgical. For small gaps, conservative treatment is prescribed. The body can often cope with such gaps on its own. Otherwise, it is worth resorting to surgical intervention. This includes arthroscopy, removal of the meniscus (meniscectomy), transplantation. After surgery, a long-term rehabilitation program is usually required, including: limiting the load on the injured limb, massage, medication, physiotherapy.
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".
