Lecture 7- Knee Flashcards
Function of the posterior cruciate ligament?
Posterior cruciate prevent forward movement of the femur on the tibia
Function of the collateral ligaments?
The collateral ligaments provide medial and lateral knee stability
MCL is extra capsular (its deep layer attaches to the joint margins and the medial meniscus)
LCL: narrow strong cord easily palpated (stabilizes the knee in a one stance)
What are the dynamic stabilisers of the knee?
Hamstrings
Quadriceps
What are the static stabilisers of the knee?
Osseous anatomy
Menisci
Primary restraints: ACL, PCL
Secondary restraints: MCL, LCL, capsule
What is the Q angle?
This angle is a measure of external tibial rotation and it is the angle between: line drawn from the ASIS to the centre of the patella
and a line from the centre of the patella to the tibial tubercle
- Females ≤ 16
Joint effusion of the knee, what could the injury be, according to the effusion?
Immediate effusion 0-2hrs -ACL rupture -Patellar dislocation -Major chondral lesion Delayed effusion 6-24hrs -meniscus -small chondral lesion No effusion -MCL sprain (superficial)
When do we x-Ray a knee? –Ottawa rule
Age 55 years or older Tenderness at head of fibula Isolated tenderness of patella Inability to flex to 90° Inability to bear weight
Blood supply to the menisci?
Crucial to meniscal healing
Geniculate arteries (branch of the popliteal artery)
Outer 10-30% of peripheral medial meniscus
Outer 10-25% of peripheral lateral meniscus
Most of the menisci are avascular (synovial fluid via diffusion)
30% of the peripheral medial meniscus 25% of the peripheral lateral meniscus
Nerve supply to the menisci?
Tibial, Obturator and Femoral nerve
What are the functions of the menisci?
Shock absorption and stress distribution across the joint Improve joint congruency & static stability
Limit extremes of flexion and extension
Prevent hyperextension and protect the joint margins Provide nutrition and lubrication to the articular cartilage
Meniscal injuries
- male predominance
- in older individuals: tears due to degeneration and is more horizontal
- in young individuals: twisting impact to the knee (e.g. Soccer) with associated valgus or varus tears (bucket-handle tear)
What is the O’Donoghue triad?
-MCL
-ACL
-MM
More often involves the lateral meniscus
What are most common meniscal Injury?
Meniscal injuries take the form of tears, most frequently:
-Anterior horn
- Posterior horn
- Bucket handle
When should you refer your patient with a knee injury?
- Locked knee (bucket-handle tear)
- Uncertain diagnosis
- Conservative care is unsuccessful
How do you assess acute meniscal tears?
Joint effusion and joint line tenderness (lateral or medial)
-Quadriceps wasting
-(+) McMurray Test (lateral/medial)
- (+) Apleys test
- (+) Thessaly test
Treatment for a meniscal tear?
Conservative treatment
RICE
ROM
Muscle strengthening exercises
Avoid twisting on a weight bearing flexed knee
Surgical treatment usually for younger patient and is proportional to the lesion location
OSTEOCHONDRITIS DISSECANS
Disorder of one or more ossification centers, characterized by sequential degeneration or aseptic necrosis and recalcification often inducing early OA
Traditionally divided into:
-juvenile (open physes)
-adult (closed physes)
Most common sites:
-knee
-elbow
-ankle
Often heal on its own especially if the child is still growing
-10-20 yrs most common
- male more common
- bilateral involvement in 30-40% of cases
- implication in juveniles if not diagnosed properly = OA
- differential diagnosis: acute traumatic osteochondral fractures and sometimes meniscal injuries
- causes 50% of loose bodies in the knee
Possible Aetiologies of OSTEOCHONDRITIS DISSECANS
Trauma Vascular causes/ischemia Skeletal maturation (accessory centers of ossification) Genetic conditions Metabolic factors Hereditary factors Anatomic variation
Specific Location of OSTEOCHONDRITIS DISSECANS
Lesions involve both bone and cartilage, most commonly: -femoral condyles: Medial 85% Lateral 10% -posterior patella surface (5%)
Clinical presentation of OSTEOCHONDRITIS DISSECANS
- Initially
Vague symptoms, poorly localized knee pain; stiffness with or after activities; and occasional swelling
Catching, grinding, locking more associated with late stage (loose body) - Later presentation
Knee pain; worse with activity; relieve with rest
Anterior cruciate ligament injuries risk factors
Risk factors result of a combination of:
• Female gender
• Decreased notch width
• Increased BMI
• Generalized joint laxity
Anterior cruciate ligament injuries
• The ACL resist anterior tibial glide and the most common MOI is a non contact mechanisms (+ 70%) involving deceleration with pivoting/twisting or landing in near extension.
• Most often occurs in combination with MCL tears, meniscal, or articular cartilage
• Most frequent cause of haemarthrosis in the knee
• ACL and OA (Neuman et al. 2008)
Clinical evaluation of a patient with a Anterior cruciate ligament injury?
• Painful joint line palpation
• Decrease ROM
• Anterior Drawer test
• Pivot shift test
• Lachman’s test
X-Ray may reveal a “segond”
Treatment for a Anterior cruciate ligament injury?
Non surgical approach brings satisfaction to a vast majority of patients
• Surgical repair is advocated according to:
• Patient age
• The degree of instability
• Meniscal involvement
• Associated knee injuries
• Patient preferences and occupation
Function of the Posterior cruciate ligament?
PCL is thought to be the primary stabiliser of the knee
• Seldom injured in isolation (LCL and Popliteus muscle)
• Likely to be under reported
Primary function is to prevent
• posterior translation and
• External rotation of the tibia
Injury much less common that for ACL
Causes of a Posterior cruciate ligament injury?
Injury most often occurs when a force is applied to the anterior tibia when the knee is flexed (eg dashboard injury in MVA)
Hyperextension and rotational or varus/valgus stress mechanisms also may be responsible for PCL tears.
Clinical presentation of a patient with Posterior cruciate ligament injury?
- Typical pop not always present
• Posterior knee pain
• Pain and haemarthrosis much less than for ACL - Posterior tibial sag is visible
Clinical evaluation of a patient with Posterior cruciate ligament injury?
- The posterior drawer test
- The dial test (300 and 900)
- The posterior sag test
Treatment of a patient with Posterior cruciate ligament injury?
• Non surgical treatment is advocated even in a grade III on less the patient is unresponsive and the pain is debilitating.
• Spontaneous healing occurs in more then 2/3 of PCL ruptures after 3 – 12 months
• Surgical reconstruction is recommended in combined injuries (PCL, ACL, avulsion fractures)
Medial collateral ligament injury
- MCL is the most commonly injured ligament in the knee
• Estimated to be around 24 per 100 000 and is quite higher
in athletic individual
• Twice prevalent in male – female
• Injury ranges from sprain to tear (usually minor unless associated with other ligamentous injury)
• MOI – valgus force; external tibial rotation - Semimembranosus muscle, pes anserine muscles, and vastus medialis provide dynamic stability – why does this matter?
• MCL tear = Superficial fiber
• The posterior fibers = rotational force and valgus in the last degrees of knee extension
Clinical evaluation of a patient with Posterolateral knee injuries?
- Evaluation must include both varus and rotational laxity at different degree of flexion
• The dial test (normal 5.50 of rotation) (300 and 900) - if more then 100 of laxity
• Varus stress test (00 and 300)
- if more then 100 of laxity
Myofascial pain disorders syndrome: ANTERIOR AND ANTEROMEDIAL KNEE PAIN- what muscles
• Rectus femoris
• Vastus medialis (especially anteromedial)
• Sartorius, Gracilis (especially anteromedial)
• Adductors longus and brevis (especially anteromedial)
Myofascial pain disorders syndrome: INFEROMEDIAL KNEE PAIN- what muscle?
• Pes Anserine
Myofascial pain disorders syndrome: LATERAL KNEE PAIN- what muscle
• Vastus Lateralis
Myofascial pain disorders syndrome: POSTERIOR KNEE PAIN- what muscles?
- Gastrocnemius & soleus
• Hamstrings (esp Biceps Femoris) - Popliteus
Iliotibial band syndrome
Is essentially a tendonitis and a common cause of lateral knee pain especially in cyclists and runners (repetitive knee flexion/extension)
• During flexion, ITB moves posteriorly along lateral femoral condyle
• TFL hypertonicity most likely cause
Iliotibial band syndrome- clinical presentation
- Lateral knee pain, may radiate
• Worse running DOWNHILL or lengthening their stride - Most patients experience pain only during activities*
Iliotibial band syndrome- risk factors
• Preexisting iliotibial band tightness
• High weekly mileage
• Time spent walking or running on a track
• Interval training
• Muscular weakness of knee extensors and flexors and hip abductors
Iliotibial band syndrome- clinical evaluation
- Tenderness over the lateral femoral condyle
- Noble test
• Pain can be elicited with active flexion-extension of the knee within the first 30° while the thumb presses over the epicondyle and ITB
• Standing on the affected leg in a 300 flexed position - Crepitus may be felt
• Ober test
Acute knee dislocation
- Usually at least ACL and PCL torn entirely (primary constraints of the knee)
- Hard signs of vascular injury such as distal ischaemia often present
• Assessment of pulses is NB if you encounter these
• Surgical intervention with adequate rehabilitation is essential!
Anterior knee pain
Represent the most common knee complaints and is often multifactorial
• Patellarabnormalitiesorinstability
• Chondral and osteochondral damage
• Muscle imbalance
• Must include a complete evaluation of the lower limb (from hip to toes)
• Morecommoninwomen2x
Connective / soft tissue source of pain, what is the condition
Fat pad syndrome*
ITB friction syndrome*
Plica syndrome
Quadriceps and patella tendonitis
Articular cartilage source of pain, what is the condition?
Degeneration (OA)*
Chondromalacia Patella