Ligament and Meniscal Injuries
The ligaments of the knee joint can be divided into two groups; extracapsular ligaments and intracapsular ligaments. These ligaments connect the femur and tibia, holding them in place, providing stability, and preventing dislocation.
Extracapsular ligaments are found outside the joint capsule and include the patellar ligament, fibular (lateral) and tibial (medial) collateral ligaments, and oblique and arcuate popliteal ligaments.
Intracapsular ligaments are found inside the joint capsule, with the cruciate ligaments( Anterior Cruciate ligament and Posterior Cruciate ligament ) being the most well known of this subgroup.
The menisci are fibrocartilaginous crescent-shaped plates found between the articular surfaces of the femur and tibia and serve to provide their congruence and shock absorption. Menisci are divided into Medial and Lateral meniscus which sit on Medial and Lateral Condyle of the tibia respectively.
Signs and Symptoms
- Pain and swelling in the knee joint following a history of injury or abnormal loading or rotational movement of knee joint.
- Difficulty in moving knee due to pain
- Difficulty in weight bearing on the affecting leg due to pain
- Sudden Locking or catching of knee during walking
- Feeling of knee giving way and feeling of instability
Risk Factors
- People involved in sports requiring sudden jerky and twisting movements like football
- Use of inappropriate footwear causing unequal distribution of weight
- Over-straining of the knee joint
- Trauma
JEEVISHA protocol for management of Ligament/Meniscal injuries:
Management of Knee ligament and Meniscal injuries depends on the grade of injury sustained by the patient.
Patients with Grade I and II injuries are managed at our centre according to a detailed rehabilitation programme which is
prepared and individualized for each patient. It includes
- Medications: In the initial course of the management of this condition, patients may be prescribed some Anti-inflammatory medications. Some other medications may be prescribed depending on the condition of the patient, which is individualized from patient to patient basis.
- Physiotherapy and rehabilitation: Physiotherapy plays a very important role in rehabilitation of the patients to their normal daily activities and in case of sports personal to their respective sports. Rehabilitation process may continue upto 3-6 months according to the individuals degree and type of injury and includes specialized programmes according to the individual needs of the patients.
Targeted treatment:
- Ultrasound guided Platelet rich plasma injections in torn ligaments and knee joint
- Ultrasound guided Prolotherapy