Journal of Surgery and Anesthesia

Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy of Synovial Plica Syndrome of the Knee Joints.

¹Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
^*Correspondence: Sung Jeong, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea, Email:

Received: 23-Feb-2022, Manuscript No. JSA-22-16396; Editor assigned: 28-Feb-2022, Pre QC No. JSA-22-16396 (PQ); Reviewed: 11-Mar-2022, QC No. JSA-22-16396; Revised: 18-Mar-2022, Manuscript No. JSA-22-16396 (R); Published: 25-Mar-2022, DOI: 10.35248/2684-1606.22.06.173

About the Study

Plica is a membrane that protects the knee joint. Most people have four wrinkles on each knee. Plica in the middle of the knee can be frustrating. This is called Plica Syndrome and is characterized by pain, swelling, and instability. The knee joint is surrounded by a fluid-filled capsule called the synovium. Synovial Plica Syndrome (SPS) occurs in the knee otherwise normal structures cause pain due to injury or overuse. Patients may see a general practitioner, a physiotherapist, or a surgeon with pain in the anterior knee with or without mechanical symptoms, which can be difficult to diagnose. During the fetal period, there are three capsules called synovial plica that grow around the developing knee joint. These are usually reabsorbed before birth. About 95% of people undergoing arthroscopic surgery have residual synovial arthritis. A plica is a fold in the thin tissue that lines your knee joint. Most people have four of them on each knee. They are useful for bending and moving legs with ease. One of the four folds, the medial plica, sometimes gets irritated from an injury. This is known as plica syndrome. It can happen over time to people who run, ride a bike, use a stair machine, or if you start exercising more than usual. It can also come after trauma to your knee, like bumping it on the dashboard during a car accident. People with the condition say their knee doesn`t feel stable. It hurts to walk up or downstairs. It feels achy and may be worse at night or when they are active. After sitting for a long time, crouching, sitting down, or standing up may hurt.

Knee Plica Syndrome can be difficult to diagnose. The signs are as same as any other knee problem. Therefore, it is important to see a doctor find out the cause of the pain. The doctor will ask you to feel and do a physical examination. Even though an X-ray can`t show knee plica syndrome. Knee plica problems usually get better without surgery. A person needs to rest their knee for a while and put ice on it. The doctor may suggest antiinflammatory pain medicine, like ibuprofen or naproxen, and stretching your leg muscles, especially your quadriceps and hamstrings. Some exercises can help strengthen those muscles overtime to keep the problem from coming back. These include straight leg presses, mini squats, walking, cycling, or swimming. A physiotherapist to get a specific regimen that will help with your pain. If the problem doesn`t get better, the next step may be surgery, probably a type called arthroscopy. The surgeon makes small cuts and inserts a tiny camera and thin tool to see and remove the damaged tissue. The doctor will probably suggest physiotherapy after the operation. Exercise can help with stiffness and swelling. It helps to make that person's knee get stronger. In many cases, plica syndrome can be managed with nonsurgical treatments. These include:

Rest

To promote healing, avoid activities that led to your flare-up.

Applying ice or cold compresses

Icing a person's knee helps to reduce pain and inflammation. Apply a cold compress for 15 minutes every three hours.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

Over-the-counter medications like ibuprofen and naproxen sodium help reduce inflammation and discomfort.

Steroid injections

Healthcare providers may recommend corticosteroid injections to ease their knee pain.

Exercises to strengthen your quadriceps

People who have weak quadriceps are more likely to develop plica syndrome. Exercises that target the quadriceps can help reduce your risk.

Hamstring stretches

If a person’s hamstrings are too tight, they can place extra stress on the front of their knee. Stretches that relax your hamstrings can help.

If nonsurgical treatments don`t help, that person may need a type of surgery called arthroscopic resection. During this procedure, your healthcare provider makes a small incision in your knee and inserts a small camera through it. Tiny surgical instruments are inserted through a second incision so the plica can be altered or removed. As with any surgery, complications can occur following arthroscopic resection. These may include infection, artery damage, nerve damage, blood clots, excessive bleeding, allergic reaction to anesthesia, and numbness in the incision. After arthroscopic resection, most people take about 6 weeks to recover. Depending on the severity of the symptoms, it may take some time to heal. Recovery from surgery for Plica Syndrome depends on several factors, including overall health and the affected knee. For example, if a person has surgery on his right knee, that person may have to wait about two weeks before they can drive. If the left knee is affected, it can be fully recovered in 3-4 days.