A meniscus is a moving, dense cartilaginous plate resembling the shape of the letter “C”. The meniscus is attached in the upper region of the tibia and is part of the knee joint. Without this element, the joint simply cannot fully perform the functions of flexion and extension. There are medial and lateral meniscus plates in the knee.
Meniscus structure
Each cartilage plate is attached to a capsule of knee diarthrosis. Different sections of the same meniscus have different densities and structures. As the body ages, the plates wear out and become brittle, as a result of which a person can get a knee meniscus rupture .
The meniscus consists of the following parts:
- body;
- back horn;
- front horn.
Blood supply to the plates is due to the capsular artery. The inner surface of the cartilage is located deep in diarthrosis, so its nutrition is possible due to the circulation of synovial fluid.
The medial meniscus plate is narrow, and in shape resembles a month. The lateral meniscus looks more like a ring and is slightly wider than the medial one. The posterior horn of the cartilaginous plate is attached directly to the lateral intercondylar tubercle, and the anterior horn is connected to the cruciform anterior ligament and the external part of the intercondylar eminence.
A rupture of the knee meniscus that occurred right next to the capsule fuses rather quickly, which cannot be said about internal injuries that, without stitching, do not fuse at all.
Symptoms of a meniscus rupture
The clinical picture, which indicates a meniscus rupture , is completely dependent on the degree of damage. Right at the time of rupture, the patient feels a sharp, unbearable pain and hears a characteristic click in the joint.
The main symptoms of injury:
- strong pain;
- the knee is swollen;
- mobility in the joint is severely limited;
- at the slightest movement crepitus (crunch) is noted;
- poor coordination of the femoral muscles.
When taking joint puncture in the synovial fluid, blood (hemarthrosis) can be observed. This condition indicates that the rupture occurred in that part of the meniscus, which is streaked with blood vessels.
If the
rupture of the meniscus of the knee joint is insignificant (tear), the symptoms may disappear after some time, but if the outcome is unfavorable, pinching of the plate and immobilization of the joint occur.
Sometimes signs of damage to the cartilage are mild - the patient may have a knee pain when lowering or climbing stairs. For this reason, it is impossible to diagnose pathology without examination. The victim must undergo the following diagnostic procedures:
- X-ray
- Ultrasound of the knee;
- 3 tomography;
- arthroscopy.
Often, only one research method is enough.
Meniscus Tear Treatment
Treatment of a knee meniscus or pinched of primary origin is most often conservative. However, sometimes the patient requires surgical intervention.
Treatment of a knee meniscus consists of several stages:
- If pinching occurs as a result of dislocation, then the doctor must first set the joint. For this purpose, two methods are used - hardware traction or manual method.
- After the articulation is in place, it is necessary to eliminate puffiness. For this, the patient is prescribed anti-inflammatory drugs, most often from the group of non-steroidal.
- With severe pain, you can take an anesthetic medicine, for example, Nimesulide, Diclofenac, Ibuprofen, Piroxicam, Paracetamol.
- If the doctor considers it necessary, the knee should be immobilized. A plaster cast is applied to a joint bent at a certain angle. Gypsum should be worn for three weeks or more, depending on the degree of damage.
- This is followed by restoration of the cartilage tissue of the plate and prevention of the development of arthrosis. The patient should undergo treatment with chondoprotectors and hyaluronic acid. This can take from three months to six months.
But even after a complete cure, a person who has suffered a rupture of the knee meniscus should repeat the therapeutic course every year.
The consequences of a meniscus rupture
A rupture of the meniscus of the knee joint (even a minor one) can lead to serious complications. Most often it is gonarthrosis (arthrosis of the knee joint). A pathological change in the articular surfaces provokes excessive friction between the end parts of the bones. As a result of this, a degenerative process develops in the joint, which can lead to loss of joint mobility and patient disability.
In addition, subsequent meniscus tears can occur even when very small forces are applied. Therefore, any suspicion of a rupture of the knee meniscus should be a reason for visiting a traumatologist.
Meniscus arthroscopy
Arthroscopy of the knee joint is not only a diagnostic measure, but also a minimally invasive operation, without which it is impossible to restore motor function in the knee. First, the doctor determines the nature of the injury, and then decides on the method of treatment. Often, diagnosis and surgery are carried out in one procedure.
Arthroscopy has many advantages over conventional surgery:
- minimal blood loss;
- minor damage to the articular tissues;
- quick rehabilitation;
- affordable cost of manipulation.
That is why meniscus rupture is most often treated with the arthroscopic method. Arthroscopy, in turn, is of two types.
- Arthroscopic resection (removal of part) of the meniscus - the procedure is carried out using medical nippers. Torn and pathologically altered fragments of the plate are cut off, the cartilage takes shape.
- Meniscectomy - suturing a damaged meniscus.
Cartilage plate injuries can also be treated with arthroscopy. In this case, with the help of an arthroscope, the doctor corrects the restrained cartilage.
Recovery and rehabilitation
Even minor damage to the meniscus plate requires serious rehabilitation and a sparing load regime. Usually, the patient spends 2-4 weeks on a full recovery, but in complicated cases this time increases to 2 months. In this period, the patient is shown physiotherapeutic procedures and special recovery exercises.
It is very dangerous to resort to self-repair, since the victim cannot determine the degree of damage without proper equipment and knowledge. Only a doctor should draw up a program of physical exercises and regulate the intensity of the loads.