Mild to moderate instability of the knee joint or meniscus injury and treatment with short functional braces!
Knee pain is one of the most common symptoms that plague millions of people worldwide. Knee pain can be mild and very severe due to various factors like age, degenerative changes of the knee joint, arthritis or osteoarthritis. An acute knee pain (mostly localized) may arise due to an injury or a trauma to the knee joint following an injury, a direct fall from staircases or an imbalance or a direct hit to the knee joint that mostly occurs from sports activity. Almost anyone is at risk of Knee pain and it can occur from young to adult. But it mostly affects the older generation due to factors of age when the joints become weak and the muscles lose their strength and the tendons become weak that enable to bind the muscles to the bones.
As you grow older chances of arthritis are high and Osteoarthritis is widely considered to be the most common cause of arthritis pain that affects millions of people worldwide. Estimates reveal that around 16 million people are suffering from osteoarthritis that impacts the general quality of life. Almost everyone be it young or old are at risk of developing osteoarthritis at any point of time in their life. Study reveals that over a million Canadians and Americans are exposed to osteoarthritis of the knee with 1 out of 10 people aged 60 years and beyond living with this condition.
It is to be noted that knee condyles are bony structures that sit in the bottom of the thigh bone in the knee joint and are responsible to assist the knee in placing the knee from hyperextending (bending too far.) The medial condyle is a larger bone structure because it bears more weight. As we grow older and a lifetime’s stress has already impacted our knees over a lifetime, these bones gradually start to tear & wear away. This change of degenerative factor has been clearly associated with meniscus degeneration.
The meniscus is a cartilage padding that acts as a shock absorber. When the meniscus is damaged, the protective articular cartilage that covers the thigh and shinbone become stressed because it assumes the mechanical load that is taken care of by the meniscus. The ligaments of the knee provide:
• Passive stability
• Guide in the movement of femur and tibia
• Define the mechanics of contact between the femur and tibia
• Restrain excessive motion to prevent dislocation of the joints
The major symptoms that people experience are generally caused by loss of or breakdown of cartilage in the knee that significantly leads to narrowing of space in the joint. The loss of spacing in joints gradually progresses with time leading to bone spurs and restricted movement.
Even healthy athletes and sportspersons are at risk of knee pain, falls, arthritis due to overuse of joints, injury (as in soccer, rugby, tennis, sprint, cross country running), and repetitive stress from fall as it happens with such sport activity. Contact sports like rugby, wrestling also can lead to mild to moderate injury of the knee joint from any injury directly to the knee. Sportspersons and especially athletes require a high level of stamina and energy and require to constantly move from one direction to the other that results in too much pressure exerted on the joints and overuse. Such repetitive stress leads to the friction of joints and loads of pressure from such high action sports causes wear and tear of joints.
When the forces to which ligaments are subjected are too great (as in acute injury or degenerative reasons caused by ligament laxity), failure of joint functioning occurs resulting in drastic changes in the structure and physiology of the knee joint. Ligaments are the primary passive joint stabilizers whereas muscles are the active joint stabilizers.
Mild to moderate instability of the knee joint also occurs due to laxity and wear and tear of ligaments and bone on bone friction.
Mechanical laxity – Loss of integrity of the ligaments and other soft tissues which contribute to joint stability are harmed due to excess in the range of motion of the knee.
Functional instability – It is a sense of feeling unstable or giving away of the joint which is usually experienced in daily activities or after a strenuous workout or exercise. Muscle weakness can alone contribute to the functional instability of knee joint but chance are it might not be associated directly with mechanical laxity.
So under such a situation, you should consult your orthopedic surgeon for a proper treatment plan towards a safe recovery. Your orthopedic surgeon will discuss in details on the nature of pain, take your family history for any genetic factors, watch your gait, and physically examine the knee for possible swelling, redness, distorted shape of the knee, and weakness of muscles triggering such a condition. Thereafter your physician will ask for routine tests like X-Rays, MRI scans to assess the extent of damage done to your joints, knee position, and any visual changes of the bones. Besides NSAIDs, corticosteroid injections & medication, rest, and rehabilitation exercises are recommended under the observation of a trained physiotherapist. It besides, your doctor might also recommend the usage of a functional soft braces with limitation of flexion and extension control. Such soft braces stabilizes the knee joint, prevents hyperextension and limitation of Range Of Motion and offers compression and proprioceptive effect The compressive action significantly reduces swelling and pain and at the same time muscular control, strength, and stabilization of the knee joint is also improved.
To further explore in details on a broad range of exclusive products covering products for the treatment of mild to moderate instability of the knee joint, meniscus injuries & degenerative deformity of the knee joint, it is to be noted that PMIPL has earned a significant reputation in health-care & wellness to stand apart as sole Importer & Distributor of reputed orthopedic products offering a wide variety of choices easily accessible across the Rehab clinic, wellness chains, Reputed pharmacies and major Distributors & Suppliers for your tailored needs. With a strong PAN India presence and it’s Head Office ideally located at the heart of KOLKATA covering a major dealer strength of 400+ and a wide network comprising of 140+ cities
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