Meniscus is a cartilaginous lining in the form of a lunar crescent, which is located inside the knee joint. Has the function of shock absorber and stabilizer. There is an internal (medial) and an outer (lateral) meniscus.
A meniscus rupture is one of the most common injuries of the knee joint. In most cases, the gap occurs with the medial meniscus, since it is less mobile than the lateral, and is firmly connected to the internal ligament of the knee joint.
Content
- 1Classification of gaps
- 2Symptoms and Diagnosis
- 3Treatment
- 4Will traditional medicine help?
Classification of gaps
Breaks are classified according to several criteria.
By the nature of occurrence:
- traumatic;
- degenerative.
By localization of damage:
- the meniscus itself;
- front horn of the meniscus;
- the rear horn;
- complex damage.
By type of rupture:
- horizontal;
- transverse radial;
- longitudinal vertical;
- oblique (patchwork) rupture.
A traumatic rupture occurs when performing physical exercises or sudden movements, such as rotational or rotational-flexural movements of the knee, jumps, sharp squats.
This is a classic sports injury.Degenerative breaks are characteristic of older people and arise from progressive diseases such as osteoarthritis, rheumatism, dysplasia, etc. Diseases such as tuberculosis, gout and syphilis also affect joints, so they can lead to disease. Other causes: flat feet, excess weight, increased physical activity.
When the body or hindbone is damaged, there are restrictions on the movement of the joint (it is difficult to completely bend or unbend the leg). If there is a rupture of the anterior horn, it is impossible to fully unbend the knee
Symptoms and Diagnosis
If the patient is not seriously injured, he can complain of aching knee pain, an uncomfortable crunch, and clicks. However, he can still bend and unbend the knee. The area around the affected joint may slightly swell.
When a significant part of the meniscus ruptures, the place swells and a complete or partial blockage of the joint occurs. This is due to the fact that the detached fragment is in the central part of the joint, thereby making it difficult to move.
Severe damage can lead to hemorrhage in the joint cavity - hemarthrosis. An edema and a tumor are formed.
The stages of the course of the disease are acute and chronic. The acute stage is accompanied by a strong pain syndrome and joint blockade. The leg is fixed in a half-bent state, the movement of the patient is difficult because of the inability to step on the aching leg.
The chronic course is observed with systematic microtraction of the meniscus. Due to the fact that the pain is not so strong, as in the acute course, the patient can not go to the clinic for a long time.
The following methods help to identify damage:
- Baikova. When flexing the knee, bent at an angle of 90 degrees, press down on the joint slit. The pressure that appears from the pressure indicates problems.
- Perelman(or "stairs") - the gap is diagnosed when descending from the stairs. The pain that occurs when the knee is flexed indicates a rupture.
- Landau- the patient, sitting "in Turkish has pain in the knee.
- Steinman- pain in the implementation of rotational movements in the bent knee (bend angle - 90 degrees).
- Polyakova.The patient is laid on the couch in a horizontal position with an elevated trunk and a healthy leg raised up. At the same time it is necessary to rely on the shoulder blades and the heel of the sore leg. The resulting pain will indicate a break.
Treatment
For the treatment of acute meniscus damage conservative methods are chosen.
Priority of treatment:
- First it is necessary to remove puffiness. For this, one or more punctures are performed (depending on the amount of fluid and activity of exudation, and also on how intense the hemorrhage into the joint cavity was).
- After returning the mobility joint, it is necessary to stop acute pain syndrome, for this purpose prescribe narcotic analgesics, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. If the pain does not pass, you can apply ice to the knee.
- To restore the joint, chondroprotectors (Don, Artra, Teraflex, Structum, Hondrolon) are prescribed.
- On the leg a tire is applied to fix the limb in the required position. The patient wears a tire for at least two weeks.
- Treatment and rehabilitation is accompanied by physiotherapy methods.
If all these procedures do not work, surgical treatment is prescribed. In this case two incisions are made, and the damaged site is sewn by a surgical suture.
The breakaway fragment must also be removed, otherwise it will block the joint and cause inflammation. This operation is called meniscectomy.
If the meniscus rupture is degenerative and is caused by tuberculosis, gout or syphilis, a comprehensive treatment of these diseases is performed to achieve the result.
After surgery on the knee, excessive loads are contraindicated to the patient, walking should be supported by a stick on crutches. The duration of the rehabilitation period is set individually.
Will traditional medicine help?
In case of serious injuries of the meniscus, it is forbidden to engage in self-medication, without resorting to medical facilities. Traditional medicine can be used as an auxiliary method of treatment.
For minor injuries of the knee joint, with chronic meniscopathy or during postoperative rehabilitation, various compresses are used to relieve the pain syndrome. Let's talk about the most popular of them.
Honey compress for warming. To prepare the basis for the compress, mix medical alcohol and natural honey in a one-to-one ratio. Heated mixture should be lubricated with a knee area, wrapped in cellophane and a woolen scarf or handkerchief, hold for two hours, then washed off. Repeat every day for a month.
Onion Compress. Grind the bulb in a blender, mix with a teaspoon of sugar and apply to the diseased area.
Wrap a package or film, lock by scarf. The compress can be left for 3-4 hours or all night.
Repeat for a month. You can alternate with other types of compresses and ointments.
Compress from burdock or cabbage. These plants are widely used in folk medicine due to healing effects on joints.
It is enough to wrap the area of the meniscus with a leaf of cabbage or burdock, fix it with a bandage and the compress is ready. It can be worn all day, most importantly - change the leaf to fresh every 2-3 hours.
Strictly adhere to the doctor's recommendations not to start the disease.
Provided in time, medical care will stop the degenerative processes in the joints.
