Epidemiology of Knee Joint Injuries in the Torsional Mechanism Among Pediatric Patients

Knee sprains are a relatively frequent reason for hospitalisation in the paediatric population, with most patients needing a specialized surgical intervention. This article presents the epidemiology of internal torsional injuries to the knee joint among paediatric patients.

We analysed data on paediatric patients hospitalised at the Department of Orthopaedics and Paediatric Orthopaedics of the Central Teaching Hospital in Łódź in the years 2018-2023 assigned the ICD codes M23 or S83.

We identified a group of 324 patients (163 boys, 161 girls) aged 8-18 years, with most of this group falling into the 14-18 age bracket (85%). 290 of the patients reported first-time injuries, and 34 had recurrent injuries. Among the 414 first-time injuries, the most common types were as follows: meniscal injuries (212), mostly of the medial meniscus (128), anterior cruciate ligament ruptures (125), lateral meniscus injuries (84) and medial patellofemoral ligament ruptures (77).

1. Most torsional injuries tot he knee joint in the paediatric population involves multiple knee structures, thus requiring compreensive diagnostic work-up and individualised treatment. 2. In view of the high treatment cost and considerable burden on the health care system, future research should focus on optimising treatment strategies according to patient age, type of injury, risk of complications and cost-effectiveness of techniques used.