Knee injuries Flashcards
What is the pathology if a joint swells immediately after injury?
Haemarthrosis = Fracture or torn cruciates
What is the pathology if a joint swells overnight after injury?
Effusion = Meniscus or other ligament injury
What is damaged if there is tenderness within the joint line of the knee?
Meniscus
What is damaged if there is tenderness at the medial/lateral margins of the knee?
Collateral ligaments
What can locking of the knee be suggestive of?
Meniscal tear → mechanical obstruction
What can knee giving way be suggestive of?
Instability following ligament injury
What can cause a knee haemarthrosis?
Primary - spontaneous bleeding eg Coagulopathy, warfarin, haemophilia
Secondary - trauma eg ACL injury, Patella dislocation, Mensical injury (Outer 1/3 is vascularised), Osteophyte fracture/fracture
Whats the unhappy triad?
ACL damage
MCL damage
Medial meniscal tear
What is the management of an acutely injured knee?
X-ray - fluid levels can indicate lipohaemarthrosis which indicates whether there has been a fracture or torn cruciate ligament
If no fracture - RICE + re examine later for pathology
MRI if suspecting meniscal or cruciate injury
How can you trim/repair meniscal tears?
Knee arthroscopy
What is the conservative management of a ruptured ACL?
Rest
Physio to strengthen hamstrings/quads
Cannot play many sports as not enough stability
What is the surgical management of a ruptured ACL?
Autograft repair
Usually semitendinosus +/- gracilis (can use patella
tendon)
What is Osgood-Schlatter’s syndrome?
Tibial tuberosity apophysitis + patellar tendonitis
Tend to be in children aged 10-14
Associated with physical activity
Pain below the knee, especially when quads contract
How do you manage Osgood-Schlatter’s syndrome?
X ray - tuberosity enlargement +/- fragmentation
Rest, consider POP
