Question

Summary:

Case Study:

• Patient: Spelling, Mary Ellen
• Physician: Philip Davidson, M.D.
• Date: October 10, 2017
• Clinical History:
• The 38 year old patient regularly lifts weights competitively and has done so for the past 10 years. She has persistent posteriormedial right knee pain with occasional effusions. The patient has an MRI documented medial meniscal tear.

Instructions:

1. Analyze the patient history included in the case study along with related physician/professional notes.

2. Using your text, notes and online resources evaluate primary literature and research/review the associated body system and terms.

3. From the analysis and evaluation of your research, infer the meaning of unknown terminology, the tests used to diagnose the problem described in the case history.

4. Lastly, record all information collected from the case history and attempt to predict the likely outcome of the patient treatment plan.

Answer 1

The knee menisci are fibrocartilaginous structures that sit within the knee joint, deepening the tibiofemoral articulation. Their main role is shock absorption, improve stability of the knee joint, and load transmission. They also play important role in synovial fluid dynamic circulation and also considered by some to be involved in awareness of the position and movement of the body.

There are two fibrocartilaginous menisci in the knee joint: a medial meniscus within the medial tibiofemoral compartment and a lateral meniscus within the lateral tibiofemoral compartment. Each meniscus is C-shaped in the transverse plane and consists of the following connected parts:

• anterior root attachment
• anterior horn
• body - located centrally
• posterior horn
• posterior root attachment

The medial and lateral menisci are two large C-shaped cartilages that are positioned on the top of the tibia bone at the knee. In case of this patient tear of the medial meniscus have occurred, which has been revealed by MRI. As, the patient had experienced pain in the right knee in the posterior medial region with ocassional effusions (giving off something, a liquid or gas), the patient was advised to undergo a MRI. It is a noninvasive test that can visualize the inner structures of the knee, including the cartilage and ligaments, the surface of the bones, and the muscles and tendons that surround the knee joint. Medial Meniscal tear was detected. A torn meniscus is damage from a tear in the cartilage that is positioned on top of the tibia to allows the femur to glide when the knee joint moves.

Often it is possible to treat meniscus tears conservatively without an operation using anti-inflammatory medications, but as the person is involed in sports,  surgery to repair or remove the damaged cartilage is preferred over conservative treatment methods.