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 KNEE PAIN AND SURGERY
Ross
Hauser, M.D.
When we ask patients why they had
knee surgery, the typical response is
"cartilage" or "I don't know." The best treatment, as long as it is a partial
ligament tear, is to help the body repair the injured area. Remember, removing
any tissue that God has put in the body will have a consequence. The tissues
most commonly removed during
arthroscopic surgery in the knee are parts of the
meniscus and the
articular cartilage
see also
Articular Cartilage Growth
(see research paper). Both of these structures are needed by the
body to help the femur bone glide smoothly over the tibia. When either of these
structures are removed, the bones do not glide property.
Eventually, whatever meniscus or articular cartilage is left after the
arthroscopic surgery is worn away. Once this occurs, bone begins rubbing against
bone and proliferative
arthritis begins. After a course of
cortisone shots, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and several trials of
physical
therapy,
the patient is again under the knife, this time for a
knee replacement. Once an arthroscope touches the knee, the chance of developing
arthritis in the knee
tremendously increases.
Before surgery, it is imperative to have an evaluation by a physician familiar
with
Prolotherapy.
Prolotherapy will begin
collagen formation both outside and
inside the knee joint, depending on the structure(s) that are injected.
Prolotherapy stimulates the body to repair itself. Surgery in the knee is
appropriate when a ligament is completely torn, such as would occur from a high
velocity injury. Prolotherapy is only helpful to regrow ligaments if both ends
of the ligament remain attached to bone. Remember, 98 percent of ligament
injuries are partial tears for which Prolotherapy would be helpful.
DIAGNOSIS OF KNEE CONDITIONS
In diagnosing the cause of
knee pain, it is important to carefully examine the
knees. A patient whose knees cave inward has a condition known as knocked-knees.
This stresses and weakens the
medial collateral ligament on the inside of the
knee. Prolotherapy will strengthen this ligament. Alternately, knees with an
outward curvature is a condition known as bow legs. This position applies
additional strain on the outside knee ligament, the lateral collateral ligament.
It is important to understand the
referral patterns of these two ligaments. The
medial collateral ligament refers pain down the leg to the big toe and the
lateral collateral ligament refers pain to the lateral foot. The ligaments
inside the knee are called the anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments. These
ligaments help stabilize the knee preventing excessive forward and backward
movement. When these ligaments are loose, even in a young person, degenerative
arthritis begins to form. Prolotherapy causes a stabilization of the knee after
these ligaments are treated. The feeling of a loose knee is reason enough to
suspect ligament
injury. The cruciate ligaments are the power horses that
stabilize the knee. They refer pain to the back of the knee. Posterior
knee pain (see
Prolotherapy research paper)
may be an indication of ligament injury.
Meniscal injuries are suspected if the patient reports a "catching sensation" in
the knee or if the knee must be "jiggled" to produce full range of motion.
Articular cartilage injuries exhibit similar symptoms making it difficult to
clinically differentiate them. However, they can be differentiated using
x-rays
Prolotherapy is indicated regardless of whether the injury causing the knee pain
is due to a meniscal or articular cartilage injury.
Prolotherapy injections into a
joint requires a more concentrated solution because the joint fluid has a
diluting effect.
© Beulahland Press
The opinions expressed
here does not necessarily reflect the views of the other member physicians of
getprolo.com.
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