Rupture of the knee joint meniscus - symptoms and treatment

Meniscus is called a mobile, dense cartilaginous plate, reminiscent of the shape of the letter "C". The meniscus is fastened in the upper region of the tibia and is part of the knee joint. Without this element, the joint simply can not fully function as a flexion and extension. In the knee, there are medial and lateral meniscus plates.

The structure of the meniscus

Each cartilaginous plate is attached to the knee diarrtosis capsule. Different parts of the same meniscus have different density and structure. As the body ages, the plates become abraded and become brittle, as a result of which a person can get a rupture of the knee meniscus .
Meniscus consists of the following parts:

1. body;
2. The rear horn;
3. Front horn.

Blood supply of plates is carried out due to the capsular artery. The inner surface of the cartilage is located in the depth of diarthrosis, so its nutrition is possible due to the circulation of the synovial fluid.
The medial meniscus plate is narrow, but in shape resembles a month. Meniscus lateral is more like a ring and somewhat wider than the medial one. Directly to the lateral intercondylar tubercle, the posterior horn of the cartilaginous plate is attached, and the anterior horn is connected to the cross-shaped anterior ligament and the outer part of the intercondylar elevation.
The rupture of the knee meniscus , which occurred right next to the capsule, fuses fairly quickly, which can not be said of internal injuries that do not grow together without stitching.

Symptoms of a meniscus rupture

The clinical picture, which indicates a break in the meniscus , depends entirely on the degree of damage. Right at the time of the rupture, the patient feels a sharp, intolerable pain and hears a characteristic click in the joint.
The main symptoms of injury:

• strong pain;
• The knee swells;
• Mobility in the joint is severely limited;
• At the slightest movement there is crepitation (crunch);
• Poor coordination of the femoral muscles.

When taking an articular 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 covered with blood vessels.
If the discontinuity of the knee joint meniscus is insignificant (anger), the symptoms may disappear after a while, but if the result is unfavorable, the plate is squeezed and the joint is immobilized.
Sometimes the signs of cartilage damage are of a mild nature - the patient may suffer from a knee during descent or climbing the stairs. For this reason, it is impossible to diagnose pathology without examination. The victim should undergo the following diagnostic procedures:

1. X-ray;
2. An ultrasound of the knee;
3. 3 tomography;
4. Arthroscopy.

Often, only one method of investigation is sufficient.

Treatment of a meniscus tear

Treatment of the knee meniscus or its pinching of the primary origin is most often conservative. However, sometimes the patient needs surgery.
Treatment of the knee meniscus consists of several stages:

• If there was a pinch as a result of a dislocation, then the doctor should first correct 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 nonsteroidal ones.
• With severe pain, you can take an anesthetic drug, for example, Nimesulide, Diclofenac, Ibuprofen, Piroxicam, Paracetamol.
• If the doctor deems it necessary, the knee should be immobilized. On the joint, bent at a certain angle, impose a plaster bandage. You need to wear gypsum for three weeks or more, depending on the degree of damage.
• Then follows the restoration of the cartilaginous tissue of the plate and the prevention of the development of arthrosis. The patient should undergo a course of treatment with hondoprotectors and hyaluronic acid. This can take from three months to six months.

But even after a complete cure for a person who has experienced a rupture of the knee meniscus , the therapeutic course should be repeated annually.

The consequences of a meniscus rupture

A rupture of the knee joint meniscus (even minor) can lead to serious complications. Most often this is gonarthrosis (arthrosis of the knee joint). A pathological change in articular surfaces provokes excessive friction between the terminal parts of the bones. As a result, a degenerative process develops in the joint, which can lead to loss of mobility of the patient's joint and disability.
In addition, subsequent meniscus tears can occur even when exposed to very small forces. Therefore, any suspicion of 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 the motor function in the knee. First, the doctor determines the nature of the injury, and then makes a decision about the method of treatment. Often, the diagnosis and operation is carried out in one procedure.
Arthroscopy has a lot of advantages over conventional surgical intervention:

1. Minimal blood loss;
2. Minor damage to the joint tissues;
3. Fast rehabilitation;
4. Affordable cost of manipulation.

This is why the meniscus rupture is most often treated by the arthroscopic method. Arthroscopy in its turn is of two kinds.

• Arthroscopic resection (removal of part) of the meniscus - the procedure is carried out with the help of medical nippers. Torn and pathologically altered fragments of the plate are cut off, the cartilage acquires a shape.
• Meniscatectomy - suturing a damaged meniscus.

The infringement of the cartilaginous plate can also be treated by the method of arthroscopy. In this case, with the help of an arthroscope, the doctor adjusts the restrained cartilage.

Rehabilitation and rehabilitation

Even minor damages of the meniscus plate require serious rehabilitation and gentle loading regimes. Usually, the patient spends 2-4 weeks for complete recovery, but in complicated cases this time increases to 2 months. In this period the patient is shown physiotherapy procedures and special restorative exercises.
It is very dangerous to resort to independent restoration, since the victim can not determine the degree of damage without proper equipment and knowledge. The physician should make the program of physical exercises and adjust the intensity of the exercise.