What is a cyst of the internal and external meniscus of the knee joint, treatment options for this disease, the reasons why it develops, existing modern methods of diagnosis and treatment - you can read about all this in our article.
Please note that this review is not a recommendation.
What is a meniscal cyst of the knee
This is a pathological neoplasm of a benign nature. Most often, this trouble is faced by people of working age; men are much more likely than women.
The disease begins with the formation of a kind of liquid-filled cavity inside the meniscus cartilage. The development of a cyst is preceded by a number of unfavorable factors, as a result, the meniscus cells begin to secrete specific substances, which over time stretch the cartilage and form a kind of capsule.
Increasing in size, the cystic neoplasm presses on the surrounding tissues and nerve endings, whichcauses severe pain, inflammation and swelling. In severe cases, even ordinary walking becomes painful for the patient.
Types of meniscus cysts
Pathological change - a cyst in the meniscus - can be bilateral or unilateral. Also, a cyst is defined as medial or lateral, depending on which particular meniscus it is located in: internal (medial) or external (lateral).
The medial cyst of the meniscus of the knee joint develops much less frequently than the lateral one, due to the anatomical features of the structure of the knee.
If a cystic formation captures not only the very capsular region in the joint, but also the ligamentous apparatus, this condition is classified as a parameniscal cyst. This is a severe pathology characteristic of the advanced stage of degeneration of the meniscus tissue; is easily diagnosed, but it can be eliminated exclusively by surgery.
Symptoms
The cyst of the lateral meniscus of the knee joint develops very slowly. The same can be said about the neoplasm in the body of the medial meniscus. Unfortunately, at the very beginning, the disease is almost asymptomatic, so when a person realizes that he needs medical help, the pathological process already has time to reach the stage where immediate serious medical or even surgical treatment is required.
In general, the development of a cyst of the meniscus of the knee joint is divided into 3 stages:
- 1 stage. At this stage, the patient may feel a slight discomfort in the knee area, and on palpation may detect slight swelling. At this stage, it is possible to diagnose a cyst only with the help of ultrasound or MRI.
- 2 stage. The pain syndrome becomes stronger. If you straighten the leg, you can see a characteristic protrusion in the knee area, which disappears if the leg is bent. At this stage, the cyst captures not only the meniscus region, but also nearby tissues.
- 3 stage. Here the pain is already very strong, and the motor function of the knee is limited. The protrusion of the cyst is visible even in a bent position. It captures the entire area around the capsule (soft tissues, ligaments).
Attention! If you have found any of the listed symptoms of a meniscus cyst of the knee joint, in no case make a self-diagnosis and do not start self-medicating. Try to visit a doctor as soon as possible and get a differential examination.
Diagnosis
An experienced doctor can usually diagnose a meniscal cyst at the first examination. And yet, in some cases, under the guise of a normal cyst, a malignant tumor or other neoplasm can develop. To be completely sure of the diagnosis, the doctor, after examination, can issue a referral to the patient for the following procedures:
- ultrasound;
- arthroscopy;
- puncture of the contents of the cyst with subsequent histological examination;
- CT or MRI;
- thermography.
An arthroscopy procedure, in which several punctures are made to access the cavity of the joint capsule, is performed under local anesthesia.
Thanks to the data obtained, the specialist accurately determines the location of the capsule and its dimensions, and can also find out how actively the inflammatory process develops, what is the degree of damage to the tissues surrounding the cyst, and some other parameters of the pathological process.
Reasons
A meniscus cyst of the knee cannot occur on its own. One of the following factors necessarily contributes to its appearance:
- knee injury;
- large physical activity that affects the joint for a long time;
- some diseases (gonarthrosis, rheumatoid arthritis, etc.);
- genetic predisposition.
In addition, there are some sports that involve constant high overloads of the knees. These include: hockey, football, and skiing. Often the meniscus is injured in dancers.
According to the observations of physicians, the meniscus cyst is most often formed in the stronger sex, as well as in children. The latter can be explained by the fact that in childhood, increased joint elasticity is adjacent to a weak musculoskeletal system.
Which doctor should I contact if I suspect a meniscus cyst
The treatment of this disease is the responsibility of an orthopedic traumatologist or orthopedic surgeon. Referral to these specialists may issuetherapist at the local clinic.
Treatment options
If a doctor diagnosed a cyst of the meniscus of the knee joint, then there are only two treatment options: conservative (helps only in the first two stages of the development of the disease) and surgical (if the process has already gone too far and reached stage 3).
If the examination shows that arthrosis or arthritis are the cause of the cyst, then treatment measures will be simultaneously directed against these diseases.
Important! Without medical attention, the pathological process can lead to serious complications, as a result of which it may be necessary to remove the meniscus.
Conservative treatment
As already mentioned, in the first two stages, you can do without surgery. Treatment of a cyst of the meniscus of the knee joint is multifaceted and complex. The treatment regimen may be different and depends on the overall clinical picture and the degree of damage to the articular tissues. Here is a general description of the treatment sequence:
- Limbs for the period of treatment shows complete rest. This is achieved by wearing a special orthosis or bandage.
- The patient is prescribed modern strong anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs both in tablets and in injections ("Meloxicam", "Movalis", etc.).
- NSAID treatment is complemented by a number of physiotherapeutic procedures: electrophoresis, infrared pulses, phonophoresis. Physiotherapy activates the movement of lymph and blood, and also reduces inflammation and pain,simultaneously stimulating the formation of he althy cartilage and connective tissue in the joint capsule.
- Special gymnastic exercises may be prescribed by the doctor to promote the resorption of the cyst.
- After the acute period of the disease is over, the patient is shown massage procedures.
Surgery for meniscal cyst of the knee
During surgical treatment, the doctor performs the following actions:
- dissection of the capsule shell in order to ensure the outflow of its contents;
- complete removal of the cyst;
- removal of that part of the meniscus that is destroyed by the cyst;
- complete removal of the meniscus.
When possible, doctors prefer to perform endoscopic surgery as less traumatic for the patient. In some cases, the surgeon may find it possible to limit himself to pumping out the contents of the cyst with a puncture.
Delete or not
Sometimes the prospect of removing a cyst of the meniscus of the knee causes unreasonable fear in patients. They believe that a one-time aspiration (pumping out with a puncture) of the contents of the cyst could be dispensed with.
But the fact is that such a procedure does not guarantee that the exudate will not start to accumulate again in the meniscus cavity. Therefore, radical surgery and removal of the cyst capsule with all its contents is considered more preferable.
Forecasts
Treatment withoutoperations of the cyst of the meniscus of the knee joint of the first and second stages are, as a rule, successful. After completing a full therapeutic course, the functional activity of the knee joint is restored in most cases in full.
Complications
If a sick person for any reason does not receive timely qualified medical assistance for a long time, the disease progresses. The result of this can be complications, consisting in a rupture of the cyst of the meniscus of the knee joint, severe degenerative changes in the articular apparatus, severe deformity and arthrosis of the knee.
Prevention
It has already been noted earlier that large loads on the joint lead to the development of a meniscus cyst. Young people who actively ski or play football are at greater risk than those who maintain their he alth through swimming, walking or cycling.
If a person begins to feel any discomfort in the joints, even minimal, it makes sense to limit physical activity - this will be the best prevention.
There are habits that can also provoke subtle microtraumas of cartilage and tendons. For example, frequent squatting or low squats during exercise breaks. But reasonable motor activity will serve to strengthen the joints of the legs.
Methods of alternative treatment
Before sharing traditional medicine recipes, we want to warn our readers that these methodstreatment of a cyst of the meniscus of the knee joint can only be used as an additional means and only after consulting a specialist.
- Honey compress with alcohol or vodka. An effective warming agent. Thanks to this compress, the recovery processes in diseased tissues are accelerated and inflammation is extinguished. The recipe is simple: take the same amount of honey and alcohol (the recommended amount is 2 tablespoons of both), put the vessel with the ingredients in a water bath to dissolve the honey. Stir, spread a mixture of gauze and apply a compress on the affected area. Cover with a soft oilcloth on top, insulate with a thick layer of cotton wool or a wool scarf and secure everything with a bandage. Keep the compress for at least 2 hours. Repeat 2 times a day. Course - 1 month.
- Treatment with burdock leaves. This can be called a classic folk recipe for joint problems. All you need is a fresh, freshly cut burdock leaf. It must be washed with water, thoroughly wiped off the moisture, applied to the inflamed joint, tied with a woolen cloth around the leg, secured everything with a bandage and kept for 3 or 4 hours. You can leave burdock on your knee and all night. Traditional healers believe that in winter it is permissible to use not only fresh leaves of the plant, but also dried ones. In this case, a dry leaf harvested in summer is first steamed in hot water and applied to the knee all night. Burdock compresses work well for pain, drawing excess s alts out of the joint and reducing the recovery period.
- Garlic rub. To startit is necessary to chop several heads of peeled garlic as finely as possible, put the resulting raw material into a vessel (necessarily made of dark glass) and pour 500 ml of apple cider vinegar (6%) there. After a week, the drug will be infused, and it will be possible to start treatment. The knee is rubbed with garlic tincture 2 times a day. This rub perfectly retains its healing properties for 8-9 months.
- wormwood infusion. 2 tablespoons of wormwood grass (chopped) are laid out in a vessel, then 2 cups of boiling water are poured into it. Everything is infused under the lid for an hour. Then the infusion is used to prepare a compress. Apply a compress on the knee daily for half an hour, repeat the procedure often: 4-5 times a day.
- Treatment with essential oils. Buy menthol oil at the pharmacy, as well as eucalyptus, clove, camphor, winter love oils. Mix fragrant ingredients in equal proportions and add freshly squeezed aloe plant juice to the mixture. Gently rub the resulting medicine into the sore spot, then wrap the knee warmer for a couple of hours. The procedure can be repeated up to 3 times a day.
Closing word
The hackneyed phrase that preventing a disease is much better than treating it later is so fed up with everyone that most no longer even listen and do not try to understand the essence of this saying. We often don't value our own he alth and catch on only when we start to feel pain.
Our joints are designed by nature to be strong and perfect, capable of withstanding heavy loads throughout life, however, they can wear out quickly, andto restore them is often beyond the power of even modern medicine. Take care of yourself to avoid disability and stay active as long as possible!
