1.What is O-leg?
O-leg is a knee inversion deformity, also known as “rotundity”, “bow legs”, “basket legs”. It is a condition in which the tibia of the lower leg is rotated inward at an angle at the knee joint, hence the term “inversion of the knee”.
In pronated knee, the knee joint is angled outward, so it is often mistakenly called valgus knee. Many young people are confused by O-leg and are not satisfied with their body shape, so they are afraid to wear tight pants and short skirts.
While middle-aged and older people are troubled by the knee pain caused by osteoarthritis secondary to O-leg, which affects their daily life. For the sake of confidence and perfection in the young age, and for the sake of worry-free life in the old age, early correction of O-leg is a positive life posture.
2. The danger of internal knee roll?
Under normal circumstances the joint surface carries weight evenly. When inversion of the knee occurs, the normal line of negative gravity of the joint is changed. In the case of an inversion of the knee, the medial joint surface is overloaded with weight. Due to the heavy load on the joint surface, the cartilage on the joint surface is rough, deformed, softened, and broken off, resulting in a series of clinical symptoms.
Because of the poor regeneration ability of articular cartilage, the destruction of the medial cartilage surface further aggravates the internal knee deformity, making the joint more unevenly stressed, forming a vicious circle. Excessive pressure and friction can lead to wear of the medial cartilage surface of the knee joint, collapse of the tibial plateau, and secondary osteoarthritis.
3. How to confirm the diagnosis of internal derangement of the knee?
If there is a distance between the two knees, it means that there is an internal knee roll.
Generally, the degree of entropion is determined by two indicators: the normal knee distance and the active knee distance.
The normal knee distance refers to the distance between the inner knee joints when the ankles are together and the legs and knees are relaxed while standing upright.
Active knee distance refers to the distance between the medial side of the knee joints when the ankles are close together and the legs and knee joints are forced inward when upright.
4. How is internal knee rotation treated?
It is important to note that no matter what kind of knee inversion correction exercises, correction instruments, small needle knife techniques, etc., can only make the lateral collateral ligament of the knee joint become loose, making the knee joint more unstable and aggravating the degeneration of the knee joint, which is harmful and not beneficial!
If the inversion of the knee is above degree II, all need to be corrected. Osteotomies are the only effective treatment for internal derangement of the knee.
The techniques nowadays are done through minimally invasive orthopedic surgery to complete the correction with minimal trauma, reliable results and fast recovery.
Two objectives can be achieved: one is to avoid early onset of osteoarthritis of the knee and the other is to achieve aesthetic and cosmetic results.
Minimally invasive osteotomies are currently used for the correction of internal knee deformities. There are two types of postoperative fixation: external fixation and internal fixation.
Internal fixation: After the osteotomy, a plate is used to fix the osteotomy end to keep it stable, and after the bone heals, it needs to be removed again. There is another internal fixation method using absorbable material to fix the osteotomy end, the material can be gradually absorbed and does not need to be removed by second surgery.
External fixation: External fixation has many convenient features, including adjustable correction angle, reliable fixation, and no need for secondary surgery. At the same time, if the limb has shortening deformity, it can be lengthened, which can be 4-10 cm, and the effect of height increase can be completed while correcting the deformity.