Plica Syndrome – Symptoms, Surgery, Treatment

What Is Plica Syndrome?

Plica Syndrome is mainly associated with the severe pain that is being felt at the anterior location of the knee. It has been well connected with the presence of appendix in the body for the reason that according to studies, the mere presence and absence of plica in the body just like an appendix seems insignificant. Plica is just a group of scrap of tissues that can be found placed on the knee and has been known only for its ability to function before during the development of a person when they are only a fetus. It means that it can be removed from the body and will not have any negative effect with how the body functions because they have lost their operational capabilities long before the syndrome came about. While some people have developed the remains of tissue and resulted into plica, other people do not have them in their bodies.

Plica Syndrome can happen if there activities that can strain the knee much such as too much twisting and straightening. This is generally the reason why Plica Syndrome is very much common in athletes in comparison to regular people.

Symptoms of Plica Syndrome

The leading symptom that transpires from a person with Plica Syndrome is none other than pain. This can be felt when a person is doing activities that may include:

• Squatting
• Jogging
• Walking
• Running.

It can also happen during a long period of sitting down, kneeling and the sudden move of ascending from an upright position. Other symptoms are:

• The sound of the knee clicking during activities.
• Tenderness of the plica when touched.

Surgery for Plica Syndrome

Any kind of surgery that accompanies Plica Syndrome does not always imply and is customarily held in reserve from circumstances that may entail of not being able to withstand the symptoms that can be felt in suffering the syndrome even after trying to cope with it. One of the most effective surgeries is called arthroscope. Arthroscope is being placed in the plica and with the use of a TV camera fitted inside;tools are working inside to cut down all the tissues affected as well as its main construction. The great thing about this kind of surgery is that it is not needed to be hospitalized after it. This can be done in just a day and the patient can be allowed to go home after the procedure.

Surgeries are not something that should carelessly be done. There are complications that might occur during and after the whole process. Here are some possible technical hitches that may be contained within:

• Bleeding is a very common complication that can be included when going through surgery.
• A high chance of acquiring an infection.
• Pain is very inevitable during and after surgery.
• Some things might go wrong as planned and the anesthesia that was used might not be very effective.
• Inability to make self-better after several days and weeks of trying to recover might be the end product that can verify something really went wrong.
• Continuous pain that is unbearable might ensue that there is an underlying problem indeed.

Treatment of Plica Syndrome

The suggestion of undergoing surgery will highly be subjected depending on the severity of the injury. The people that frequently experience this type of injury are usually the athletes. With so many tireless activities and work outs that they usually do, the first defense into combating and treating it is to make certain that they take the day off and rest well.  Apart from this, the following treatments can be included:

• Medications – classifications that may be involved from the prescription from a physician consists of NSAIDS or the Non-Steroidal Inflammatory Medications. This is to assuage and suppress the feeling of pain as well as the presence of inflammation. There are occasions where steroids are also being recommended by most health care professionals but this can be contraindicated to athletes.
• Physiotherapy – there will be a complete restoration of the injury if the person suffering from it will just refer to and schedule for an appointment for physiotherapy. This kind of therapy does not only help in cultivating how the limb usually function normally before it has been incapacitated, but it can also service for one’s own good in terms of alleviating pain and inflammation.

Aside from a physiotherapist, it might also help getting other dedicated and expert specialist in the matter to ask for an advice such as a surgeon or a physician that specializes with its management.