The knee joint: evaluation and treatment

The knee joint is susceptible to injury not only in athletics, but also at work and in routine daily activities. Nurse practitioners in any setting will benefit from an understanding of the knee joint and the key structures that may commonly be injured. This article focuses specifically on the following three main structures that are important for knee function and are frequently injured: the articular cartilage, the meniscal cartilage, and the anterior cruciate ligament. The anatomy and physiology of these entities are reviewed as well as the methods that can be used for initial physical examination. This article will concentrate on surgical treatment because serious injury to any of these three structures usually warrants surgical intervention in the hopes of preventing future traumatic arthritis. Therefore, if a nurse practitioner suspects that a patient has injured any of these structures, early treatment may be initiated along with a referral to an orthopaedist for further evaluation. This article describes new procedures currently being done in the field of orthopaedics for the treatment of selected knee injuries.