Arthroscopic surgery to remove the knee joint

This is an automatically translated article.

The article was professionally consulted by Specialist Doctor II Mai Anh Kha - Orthopedic surgeon - Department of General Surgery - Vinmec Danang International General Hospital.
Knee adhesions or stiffness are common symptoms in people with pre-existing knee injuries. There are many ways to overcome this situation, but arthroscopic knee dissection is considered a highly effective method for severe cases.

1. Stiffness of the knee, what is ankylosing spondylitis?

Stiffness of the knee is a condition in which the muscles of the joints in the knee become fibrous and they make it very difficult for the patient to move normally and inevitably cause pain. The main manifestation of this disease is that the knee cannot be bent and must be massaged for a while to move normally.
The structure of the knee joint consists of 2 main parts that are the upper part of the tibia and the lower part of the femur. These bones are protected by articular cartilage and fixed by ligaments. When the knee is stiff or ankylosing, the patient's knee will be stiff, unable to walk, move the knee joint.

2. Causes of ankylosing spondylitis

The cause of knee stiffness may be due to external influences that damage the knee joint. When the articular cartilage is damaged, broken or ruptured or stretched ligaments also affect the operation of the knee joint.
The next cause of knee stiffness or ankylosing spondylitis is disease. The majority of cases of knee stiffness are caused by diseases such as gout, osteoarthritis, osteoarthritis, septic arthritis or after surgery complicated knee injuries that cause knee fusion. .

3. Manifestations of knee stiffness, knee fusion

Stiffness of the knee is a condition in which the knee cannot move normally due to fibrous adhesions in the joints. The most typical manifestation is that the knee cannot be bent and needs to be massaged to be able to walk normally.
This phenomenon usually appears when the patient has just woken up, when the knee joint is stopped working for a while. At this time, the patient cannot stand up or bend the knee because the knee joint cannot be extended as usual. After about 15-20 minutes of massage, the joints relax and return to normal activities. Sometimes patients sitting for a long time without moving the knee joint can also cause the joint to become stiff.
Knee stiffness may be accompanied by mild to moderate pain. In some cases, the knee may be mildly swollen or red hot. Symptoms may also be accompanied by fever and fatigue. Stiffness is often accompanied by problems with joint cartilage, the bone under the cartilage can be damaged or worn away.

4. Methods to improve knee stiffness

When you have stiffness or joint pain in your knee, you should visit your doctor to get the most effective instructions. Treatment of knee stiffness has many methods, depending on the cause and the patient's stiffness
For patients with mild knee stiffness may not need surgery but can apply the treatment methods other materials such as rehabilitation exercises.

4.1 Adjusting living habits

The simplest thing is to change your daily habits to improve the condition of joint cartilage. Patients need to have a regular lifestyle, eat at the right time, sleep right, drink enough water and pay attention to keeping the body warm. Pay attention to bathing with hot water to help good blood circulation. Limit refined carbohydrates and foods containing preservatives, sweeteners, and colors.

4.2 Use of drugs and physical therapy

In addition to adjusting the daily routine, patients can also use more medications and practice daily exercises as directed by the doctor. Physical therapy treatments include massage. Apply hot or cold compresses along with exercises such as climbing stairs, cycling, and standing up.

4.3 Arthroscopic surgery to remove ankylosing spondylitis

Arthroscopic knee dissection is only performed when conservative treatments have failed. Apart from the contraindications related to patient disagreement, only complex regional pain syndrome is an underlying contraindication to this surgery because it can complicate stiffness.
Performing surgery When performing surgery, the patient is lying on his back, spinal anesthesia and epidural anesthesia. The doctor will reassess the range of motion of the knee under the anesthetic. After the preparation is complete, the doctor will begin to cut the area around the patella and expand it around. When the bag on the cake has finished filtering, continue to filter in the inner and outer corners.
Finally, an intercondylar resection to avoid injury to the cruciate ligaments. In this area, careful debridement is required because the fibrous tissue in the intercondylar and anterior knee area will limit knee extension.
Release of the lateral and medial patellar ligaments is required if mobility is limited. After the debridement is complete, gently tap the joint to loosen the adhesive bands and further debride.
When having surgery, it is necessary to avoid causing fractures during chiropractic. Pay attention to hemostasis and wash the joint thoroughly. Finally, insert drainage and knee compression.
Monitoring and handling complications after surgery After surgery, the patient will receive epidural pain relief for 2-3 consecutive days. After that, the patient exercises to move the knee with automatic exercise machines to gradually recover the joint.
Patients need to be monitored to promptly handle complications after surgery. Complications can occur such as infection, blood loss or cartilage damage. However, patients should not be too worried about complications because before and during surgery, doctors have considered very carefully when performing.
With more than 22 years of professional experience, Doctor Mai Anh Kha used to hold the position of Head and Deputy of Department of Surgery - Plastic Burns at Hue Central Hospital and worked at other large medical units such as Da Nang Hospital, Traffic Hospital 5. Currently, he is an Orthopedic Surgery Doctor - General Surgery Department - Vinmec International General Hospital Da Nang.
How effective the treatment of knee osteoarthritis is will depend on how early or late the disease is detected. As soon as the pillow has unusual symptoms, you should immediately go to a reputable medical facility for examination and diagnosis. To register for examination and treatment at Vinmec International General Hospital, you can contact the nationwide Vinmec Health System Hotline, or register online HERE.