Knee problems and surgery

"Early management of acute knee injuries can prevent further damage and avoid a catalogue of problems in the future", says leading knee surgeon Mr Harminder Gosal.

The British Osteopathic Association journal recently discussed early management of acute knee injuries and advised that in some cases, surgery within a few weeks of injury can prevent long-term problems with degeneration in the knee joint.

Acute knee injuries are commonly caused by injury to the medial collateral ligament, medial meniscus or anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).  The ACL injury may happen during a sporting activity, where a pop is heard and the knee starts to swell up immediately.  This is seen particularly with football, rugby, netball, basketball and skiing.

A meniscus tear causes swelling, but it can take 24 hours before it is really noticeable.  More people have this problem compared to ACL tears, and there may be a gradual wear and tear occurring from playing sport on top of the injury itself.

Your osteopath can help to diagnose these conditions, but where the injury is complex (a mixture of the above structures injured), you are going to need a MRI (or X-ray) to see what exactly needs repairing.  A simple test of the knee will show if there is any instability in the knee joint.  Private MRI scans are more affordable these days (from £200 per area), and if there is a problem getting a scan quickly through your GP surgery, ask your osteopath for a referral.

"While an ACL injury on its own can wait a bit if necessary it is best to repair a meniscal injury as soon as possible - within the first two or three weeks if possible".  Waiting too long can cause meniscus damage to affect the joint surfaces in the knee (early onset arthritis may result).

If you think surgery could be the option for you, get a specialist referral as soon as possible.  Osteopaths can refer patients to the Cheltenham Knee Unit (a bit of a trek from Leicester, but this clinic has an internationally renowned MRI scanner centre and patients can get the whole assessment and MRI diagnosis at the same time).  Visit http://www.cheltenhamkneeunit.co.uk and http://www.cobalthealth.co.uk for more details.  Alternatively, there is a MRI clinic in Solihull which provides a very good service.