Knee Flashcards
What are important questions to ask for knee injuries
Mechanism of injury
Swelling
- immediate = haemarthrosis = fracture/torn ligament
- overnight = effusion = meniscus or other lgt damage
Pain/tenderness
- joint line = meniscus
- med/lateral margins = collateral lgts
Locking: meniscal tear –> mechanical obstruction
Giving way: instability following lgt injury
Inability to weight bear
What are the causes of knee haemoarthrosis
Primary = spontaneous bleeding --> coagulopathy, haemphilia, warfarin Secondary = trauma - ACL injury 80% - Patella dislocation - osteophyte fracture - meniscal injury 10%
What is the unhappy triad
ACL
MCL
Medial meniscus
What may global pain of the knee suggest
OA
RA
Septic arthritis
Gout or pseudogout
How may osgood schattler present
Adolsecent girls
tenderness over tibial tuberosity
What are the features of mennsical injuries
Usully twisting injury
Delayed knee swelling (overnight)
Locking and giving way are common symptoms
Recurrent episodes of pain and effusions are common
How may a ruptured ACL present
Usually sport injury - twisting mechanism or high force applied to bent knee
immediate swelling - haemoarthrosis
Positive anterior draw test
Loud crack
How are ligament injuries managed
Intense physio
Surgery to construct ligament
Who most commonly get tibial plateau fractures
In the elderly
or following significant trauma in the young
How do tibial plateau fractures occur
Knee forced into varus or valgus but the knee fractures before the ligaments rupture
Varus injury affects medial plateau
Valgus injury affects lateral plateau
depressed fracture occurs
How does ITB syndrome present
Lateral pain
tenderness over lateral femoral epicondyle
overuse injury, common in runners
Where is the swelling in prepatellar bursitis
Swelling is anterior to patella
