Meniscus injury requires vigilance!

  The meniscus is the fibrous cartilage between the femoral condyle and the tibial plateau, and is the “spacer” between the articular surfaces that cushions pressure and stabilizes the knee joint. The “spacer” is thick at the edges and thin in the center, and can be divided into two parts: the medial meniscus and the lateral meniscus. The medial meniscus is larger and has a “C” shape; the lateral meniscus is smaller and has an “O” shape. Meniscus damage should be seen in a timely manner, otherwise it can lead to wear and tear of the knee cartilage and early onset of knee osteoarthritis.  This disease belongs to the category of “tendon injury” in Chinese medicine and is most common in young people with a history of obvious trauma, such as playing ball and working in a squatting position. When the knee joint is in a semi-flexed position, sudden inversion, rotation, extension or abduction, rotation, extension of the knee joint, the rotational rolling force between the joints exceeds the range of motion allowed by the meniscus, which can cause meniscal injury.  Main symptoms: Meniscus injury mostly appears as pain on one side of the knee joint with fixed position; or weakening of the quadriceps muscle, self-conscious weakness; or sudden jamming of the knee joint when walking, appearing as “interlocking” sign, which can be recovered by sudden popping or bouncing of the joint after resting and shaking the affected knee.  Diagnosis: The basic diagnosis of the disease can be made by the patient’s trauma history, clinical symptoms and MRI examination.        Treatment is based on a combination of therapies: 1. Rest and avoid strenuous activities, excessive flexion and extension activities, etc.  2, appropriate functional exercise to prevent muscle atrophy, such as ankle pump, straight leg raising exercises.  3.Physical therapy, it is appropriate to apply ice in the early stage of injury, and to use traditional Chinese medicine hot amniotic pack + infrared light in the late stage.  4.TCM diagnosis and treatment, early stage oral blood circulation and pain relief herbal medicine, late stage oral kidney and bone strengthening herbal medicine; ointment external application, Chinese medicine external washing, etc.  5.Orally take anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving western medicine, such as non-steroidal drugs.  6.Perforation of the joint cavity, such as injection of sodium vitreous acid to nourish cartilage.  7.Arthroscopic surgery treatment. If the effect of non-surgical treatment is not good and the symptoms are repeated, arthroscopic surgery can be considered.  With the development of arthroscopic technology, the ruptured free part of meniscus can be removed, trimmed and shaped under the arthroscope, and the intact part can be preserved as much as possible, or the ruptured meniscus can be sewn with the joint capsule under the arthroscope using a meniscal suture to restore the stability of the meniscus. At present, arthroscopic surgery is less invasive and can reduce the early occurrence of osteoarthritis of the knee, which is more in line with the physiological state of the joint, and the patient recovers quickly after surgery and can get out of bed early.