Knee question

[missjaimy]

Hi all

Just a quick question involving knees. Does anyone know whether meniscus/cartliage damage or deterioration shows up on an X-ray? Or is cartlilage more soft tissue that would need to be seen by an MRI?

I'm not sure if when a knee arthroscopy is performed to trim up cartliage, the problem has been predetermined by X-ray, MRI or even ultrasound first.
Any ideas?

Thanks in advance.

Cheers
Oz

 

[Kalaz]

I've had two scopes on my knee and both times the tear was confirmed by MRI. You can see inflammation on an X-ray, it will look cloudy, and you can determine approximately how much meniscus is left by how much dark space is left between the bones. Usually when you have a tear and that little piece of meniscus is flapping about (the joint mice referred to in another thread) you know it. Hope this helps

wellnessgarden

 

[COOL FOR CATS]

A client gave me a copy of What Your Doctor May NOT Tell You About Knee Pain and Surgery and said it had been very helpful for him.

Apparently it's very easy to misdiagnose knee problems, even/especially with MRIs. To be blunt, the book explains, among other things, how a radiologist can "create" a meniscus tear when there isn't one just by adjusting a dial.

It does include a chapter on how to find the right knee doctor, and answers to a lot of common questions.