Knee Pain Associated with Misalignment of the Knee Joint
Introduction & Background
I chose to write about knee pain and the misalignment of the knee joint, because it is something that I suffer from on a daily basis. In the last 11 years I have had three knee surgeries I have had part of my medial meniscus taken out and then followed it seven years later with the complete removal of the lateral meniscus. Due to my very valgus alignment, which is when you knee joint points towards the midline they then decided to do a distal femoral osteotomy. With this surgery they cut my right femur in half at the distal head and created a gap with donor bone. They then put a plate with seven screws in it to hold the femur in place. When the surgery is complete in my case I was unable to bear weight for two months due to the fact that the donor bone may be crushed or the Plate and screws could break during the first part of the healing process.
More common that the distal femoral osteotomy is the closing wedge or tibal osteotomy this is used for varus or bull legged people, whereas the distal femoral is used for valgus or “knock knee” which is how my doctor explained it to me. In the closing wedge osteotomy All the same procedure are the same as In the distal only this time the surgery is done on the medial side of the head of the tibia.
Although this is a major surgery this can be a very good surgery for a young person because there are not many other options. In the long run this can save a 33 year old person like my self up to 20 years before getting a knee replacement, which my doctor is certain I will need. So as drastic as this might sound it can be quite beneficial. Currently the rate of success on second time knee...
... middle of paper ...
...X(US) Feb. 6 2001
Jack Farr et al. Methods and Intruments for Improved Meniscus Transplantation. US 6,699,252 B2 Oct. 17, 2002 US 2002/0151975 A1
Wilson, B., Rankin, H., & Barnes, C. L. (2011). Long-term results of an unloader brace in patients with unicompartmental knee osteoarthritis. Orthopedics (Online), 34(8), e334-e337. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.3928/01477447-20110627-07
Kevin M. Turpin et al(2012). Biomechanical and Clinical Outcomes With Shock-Absorbing Insoles in Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis: Immediate Effects and Changes After 1 Month of Wear. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Volume 93, Issue 3, March 2012, Pages 503–508Wylde, V., Dieppe,
P., Hewlett, S., & Learmonth, I. D. (2007). Total knee replacement: Is it really an effective procedure for all? The Knee, 14(6), 417-23. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.knee.2007.06.001
Shiel W Jr.and Stoppler M. (2011). Osteoarthritis . Available: http://www.medicinenet.com/osteoarthritis/article.htm . Last accessed December 2013.
Nisell R. (1985) Mechanics of the knee: A study of joint and muscle load with clinical applications. Acta Orthop Scand 216; 1-42.
The most common knee injury in sports is damage to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) through tears or sprains. “They occur in high demand sports that involve planting and cutting, jumping with a poor landing, and stopping immediately or changing directions” (University of Colorado Hospital). The ACL is a ligament that runs diagonally in the middle of the knee and found at the front of the patellar bone. Its function involves controlling the back and forth motion of the knee, preventing the tibia from sliding out in front of the femur, and providing rational stability to the knee. Interestingly, women are more prone to ACL injuries than men. The occurrence is four to six times greater in female athletes.
This article is about the results of a survey conducted by three PhD’s; Janet Simon, Matthew Donahue, and Carrie Docherty, and was published by the International Journal of Athletic Therapy and Training. The purpose of the survey was to determine Athletic Trainers current utilization of ankle support, and to determine ATs current attitudes towards the use of ankle taping and bracing. It gives some history and benefits of ankle bracing and taping, and how it has become a multimillion dollar industry, considering that 66-73% of all college athletes have reported an ankle sprain. Also, a third of people with ankle sprains will either re-sprain the ankle or report feelings of instability after the initial sprain. Ankle taping has become essential part of sports medicine,
In November of 2010, I was playing basketball in the fifth game of my senior season. It was just like any other game. However, I would soon find out otherwise. It was late in the game; I drove into the lane and got fouled hard. I was knocked so off-balance that I speared the floor with my knee. As soon as my knee hit the floor I heard a “snap” that I will never forget for the rest of my life. Little did I know at the time, that would be the last shot of my high school basketball career. Not long after my injury, I consulted a doctor. After getting an x-ray and an MRI, the doctor informed me that I had completely torn my ACL and would need to have surgery. An ACL tear can be a very devastating injury. The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of the four major ligaments within the knee. The ACL is one of the most commonly injured ligaments, injured by an estimated 200,000 patients each year. Of the 200,000 annual ACL injuries, surgery is performed in approximately 100,000 cases. There are many types of reconstructive surgery on the ACL. However, there is an alternative to surgery in the form of physical therapy.
Retrieved September 16, 2000 from: http://www. www.sechrest.com/mmg/knee/kneeacl.html. Arthroscopic ACL Reconstruction -. et al. (July 11, 1999).:Arthroscopy.com. Retrieved September 16, 2000 from: http://www.arthroscopy.com/sp05018.htm.
Räsänen, P., Paavolainen, P., Sintonen, H., Koivisto, A., Blom, M., Ryynänen, O., & Roine, R. P. (2007). Effectiveness of hip or knee replacement surgery in terms of quality-adjusted life years and costs. Acta Orthopaedica, 78(1), 108-115.
Kellis, E., & Katis, A. (2007). Biomechanical characteristics and determinants of instep soccer kick. Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, 6(2), 154-165.
The word patella comes from the great latin language meaning shallow pan or shallow dish. The description of that word could not be more correct, it was meant in reference to balance of food but in anatomy’s case a balance of the body. The patella is a small bone located in front of the knee joint where the thigh bone (femur) and shinbone (tibia) meet. It protects the knee and connects the muscles in the front of the thigh to the tibia. The patella is one of two sesamoid bones found in the body, roughly triangular shaped in size. It’s thick consistency allows for the articulation of the femur, which in turn allows for body support and balance. The patella has multiple body functions with the primary being knee extension. The patella is essential for basic body functions including locomotion;
In order to understand how the menisci can be injured, you must understand the basic anatomy of the menisci and why they are important. The menisci are two oval (semilunar) fibrocartilages that deepen the articular facets of the tibia and cushion any stresses placed on the knee joint. They enhance the total stability of the knee, assist in the control of normal knee motion, and provide shock absorption against compression forces between the tibia and the femur (Booher, 2000). Articular cartilage covers the ends of the bones that make up the joint. The articular cartilage surface is a tough, very slick material that allows the surfaces to slide against one another without damage to either surface. This ability of the meniscus to spread out the force on the joint surfaces as we walk is important because it protects the articular cartilage from excessive forces occurring in any one area on the joint surface, leading to degeneration over time (Sutton, 1999).
"Chapter 37." Operative Techniques in Orthopaedic Surgery. Ed. Sam Wiesel. 4th ed. Vol. 2. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2011. eBook.
The modern total hip replacement was invented in 1962 by Sir John Charnley. Sir Charnley was an orthopedic surgeon who worked for a small hospital in England. The total hip replacement is considered by many to be the most important operation developed in the 20th century, solely based on the fact that it helps to relieve human suffering. Total hip replacement was first performed in the United States around 1969. Since then there have been more then a hundred of thousands of replacements performed in the United States. One of the first surgeons to perform this surgery was Charles O. Bechtol. In 1969, while he was a professor at UCLA, Bechtol started a total hip replacement program. The artificial hip joint is considered a prosthesis. There are two major types of artificial hip joints, cemented prosthesis and uncemented prosthesis. The type of prosthesis that will be used on the individual patient is decided by the surgeon depending on the patient's age, lifestyle and the experience that the surgeon has with a particular one.
5. The effect of taping versus semi-rigid bracing on patient outcome and satisfaction in ankle sprains: a prospective, randomized controlled trial. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders [serial online]. January 2012;13(1):81-87. Available from: Academic Search Complete, Ipswich, MA. Accessed March 23, 2014.
During the ninth grade, I injured my knee playing soccer. The initial MRI did not show any tears, but the orthapedic surgeon did notice I was weak medially and that my patella was tracking laterally. He sent me to therapy to strengthen the inside of my leg and hopefully pull my kneecap medially. I started going to therapy and I adored my therapist, Kelley. Even though the exercises weren’t always fun or pain free I looked forward to therapy. She made things fun, and since I was interested in the field, would explain why I was doing certain exercises compared to others. The pain didn’t go away and she worked to help figure ...
An estimated 50 million Americans have suffered or are suffering knee pain or injuries. Most of these pains, sprains, and strains could probably have been avoided with proper conditioning (Fox, 147). I have had knee pain since my freshmen year of high school and have finally taken the initiative to find some exercises that will help ease this pain, and build muscle strength in the surrounding areas to avoid another possible injury.