When Jeff Sharpe was doing rehab after surgery for a meniscus tear, he used the prototype of a new device, the IdealKnee,™ to regain full knee extension.
For those who have total knee arthroplasties (TKA), there are several indicators to determine satisfaction rates for both clinicians and patients. One of the most reported outcomes is flexion range of motion.
Shelbourne Knee Center has only used the patellar tendon as the primary graft choice when doing ACL reconstructions. The patellar tendon is considered the “gold standard” of graft choices; however, many do not like to use this tendon due to the difficulty of the rehabilitation.
The posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) is one of two ligaments that sit in the intercondylar notch with the other ligament being the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). Above you will see an acute PCL tear (LEFT) compared to the 3.2 year (RIGHT) post injury MRI which shows the PCL healed (dark black structure in the middle is the PCL).
Chondral injuries are common to the knee joint especially with ACL injuries or multi-ligament injuries. One study reported 23% of acute ACL injuries and 54% of chronic ACL knees had articular cartilage damage. In general, these lesions are not painful unless there is an elevated chondral flap (OCD) or a loose chondral piece.
There is much debate on the best way to treat a patient who has suffered an ACL tear regarding graft choice and when to do the surgery. However, the one opinion that most agree upon is doing a reconstruction on an isolated ACL injury to all school-age athletes and those individuals who want to return to high-risk activities is appropriate.
Conservative treatments for symptomatic knee osteoarthritis (OA), especially physical therapy, are more effective than many physicians think they are in relieving pain and improving function.
Common knee problems such as asymptomatic meniscus tears and most osteoarthritis will heal with non-operative treatment. Yet, patients with these problems are often told they need surgery based solely on an MRI or X-rays.