In patients who have severe progressive knee arthritis, which limits their function, the main form of treatment may be a total knee arthroplasty—also known as total knee replacement surgery. With a total knee arthroplasty, a saw, chisel and other instruments are used to remove the ends of the bones at the knee […]
It is estimated that in the next 25 years at least 71 million Americans will have some form of arthritis, a degenerative condition of the joints, creating pain, swelling and limited movement for sufferers. Osteoarthritis is notably one of the most debilitating forms of arthritis and is characterized by the deterioration of
When a patient has been diagnosed with osteoarthritis of the knee, the first step in treatment is to try and determine ways to avoid those activities that cause the symptoms. If surgery is the recommended course of action, Dr. LaPrade will discuss each technique and offer a treatment solution based upon the progression of […]
The menisci are made of fibrocartilage and act as shock absorbers for the joint. They have a blood supply on the outer third, with the inner portion of the meniscus not having any blood supply. In addition, the inner portion is much thinner than the thicker outer portion, which attaches to the joint lining. […]
The root attachments of the posterior horns of the medial and lateral meniscus are very important for joint health. When these are torn, the loading of the joint is equivalent to having no meniscus on the affected side. Thus, these patients can often have early onset arthritis, the development of […]
The menisci are important shock absorbers in the knee. There are two menisci in the knee – one located on the medial side and the other on the lateral side. Together, each meniscus helps with knee stability and the preservation of joint health.
The medial meniscus, on the inside of the […]
When a discoid meniscus, most commonly involving the lateral meniscus, tears, it is necessary to perform treatment on it due to symptoms from the tear. In most instances, the meniscus is very thin and degenerative when it does tear and a good portion of it needs to be resected. Attempts should be […]
A meniscus injury is common among athletes and can lead to ongoing pain and knee instability. The menisci are c-shaped pieces of fibrocartilage that cover the knee and play an extremely important role in distributing the load across the knee and to protect the articular cartilage. The meniscus is made up of the
The overall alignment of one’s knee can be very important to the success of several different types of operative procedures. This includes articular cartilage resurfacing procedures, meniscal transplants, and different types of knee ligament reconstructions, especially for chronic injuries or for revision surgeries.
One’s alignment is obtained by drawing a line from the center of […]
If you are experiencing pain in the ligament behind the knee, you may be a candidate for PCL knee surgery.
The posterior cruciate ligament, or PCL, is the strongest ligament of the knee. While the anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL is injured more often than the PCL and is more […]
