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Abstract
More than 50 per cent of knee disabilities, excluding fracture and dislocation, were
found to be the result of internal derangement; of these one-half required surgical
treatment.
Meniscectomy is an essential part of correcting internal derangement of the knee joint
but in the absence of restoration of quadriceps muscle strength, full weight-bearing
power of the leg will be delayed. Surgeons are generally careless as applied physiologists
in combining surgical intervention and accepted means of restoring quadriceps muscle
power in the treatment of knee joint disability. Postmeniscectomy complaints in eighteen
men were found to be due in more than one-half to quadriceps atrophy and in two because
of incomplete removal of the semilunar cartilage.
The spring scale muscle test is suitable for employment as an objective means of determining
the progress of quadriceps muscle recovery after injury or arthrotomy of the knee
joint. Failure to assay correctly quadriceps restoration may be the result of not
employing such subjective measurements.
Undue delay of chondrectomy is undesirable as it allows development of quadriceps
atrophy and often trauma to the articular surfaces of the femur.
An adequate follow-up study on all patients treated in military hospitals and also
those separated from the service is desirable in order to conserve the fighting strength
of the army by ascertaining the effect of improved surgical and medical treatment.
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Article info
Publication history
Received:
September 20,
1948
Identification
Copyright
© 1949 Published by Elsevier Inc.
