What does it show and how to prepare for an x-ray of the knee joint?

X-ray of the knee is one of the frequent examinations at the International Center for Health Protection. You can take an X-ray of the knee joint quickly and accurately; prices are indicated in the price list on the website. Patients of the medical center sign up for examination at a convenient time and day.

X-rays of the knee joint are usually used for traumatic injuries:

• dislocations and subluxations;
• cracks and fractures of bones;
• ligamentous injuries;
• hemorrhages in the joint;
• injuries of the meniscus, condyles, patella.

Indications for x-rays of the knee joint include diseases such as gonarthrosis, rheumatoid arthritis, secondary lesions due to syphilis and tuberculosis, and knee tumors.

The patient is referred for radiography if the following complaints occur:

• suspected injuries and damage to the articular-ligamentous apparatus;
• swelling of the knee, pain at rest and with movement, redness and swelling of the skin;
• joint deformity;
• limitation of mobility.

The procedure is contraindicated for pregnant women and persons with metal implants in the examination area.

What can an x-ray show?

X-ray of the knee joint

, as well as any other bones or joints, is carried out in order to identify any injuries, fractures or cracks in bone tissue, joint dislocations and subluxations, and ligament ruptures. If there is an open fracture of the joint, an x-ray can be used to see how the bone fragments are located. This will help in the future to correctly perform the operation and assemble the joint. X-ray is an informative diagnostic method for identifying infectious diseases of bones or joints, determining arthritis, growths or tumors of bone tissue. By analyzing x-rays, we can draw some conclusions about the causes of certain diseases. This could be, for example, an occupational deformity of a joint, a nutritional disorder, a genetic disorder, and so on.

Articular cartilage damage

Arthrosis, that is, abrasion, damage to the cartilage of the knee joint, is one of the most common diseases, and on x-rays it can be shown quite clearly even in the initial stages, which facilitates the further treatment process. Primary arthrosis is distinguished, that is, caused by overload of the joints, age-related changes, and injuries. And also secondary, which appears against the background of the development and progression of other diseases, for example, gout or rheumatoid arthritis. There are three degrees of development of arthrosis: 1,2,3. The last degree is already difficult to treat conservatively. The patient constantly feels pain in the joints (even at rest), stiffness in the morning.

Traumatic joint injuries such as dislocation, fracture or deformation

Excessive physical activity, falls, compression of bones and joints lead to traumatic injuries such as dislocations, fractures or deformities. Quite often, the diagnosis of dislocation is given to athletes. Also, the first ice brings many patients with dislocations or fractures to the emergency room. As a rule, the first thing done in a medical facility is an x-ray. It helps to make a diagnosis, determine the location of the damage, and its complexity. After decoding the image, treatment is prescribed.

Congenital joint changes

Radiography, or x-ray of the knee joint, as practice shows, helps to identify congenital, genetic changes in its structure. The most common of these is knee dysplasia. In such cases, the bone tissue loses its function, partially or completely atrophies and, as a result, the joint becomes too mobile and loses fixation. This disease can be detected both in a child immediately after birth and in adulthood. Dysplasia manifests itself as pain in the knee joint, asymmetry of the knees, and difficulty moving.

Principles of treatment

At the moment when the articular surfaces have not yet undergone fatal changes, but only minor degenerations, conservative treatment is applied. It is based on the following principles:

• physical therapy exercises without absolute vertical load - the doctor will prescribe the correct (!) set of trainings, which will improve metabolic processes in the joint and make it possible to stop pathological progression;
• losing weight through diet - losing weight is very important for overweight and obese people, because extra pounds put pressure on the joint, making it difficult to function normally;
• exclusion of physical activity , in which the bone joint functions in an enhanced impact mode (running, team sports, jumping, etc.);
• the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to relieve pain and swelling (Ibuprofen, Diclofenac, Voltaren, Indomethacin, etc.);
• the use of drugs to stimulate the production of synovial fluid and replenish osteochondral components with useful substances (chondroprotectors, hyaluronic acid);
• wearing special orthotic devices, orthopedic shoes;
• prescription of physiotherapeutic procedures (cryotherapy, ozokerite and paraffin applications, UHF, ultrasound, phonophoresis, etc.).

There are no statistics confirming that overweight people have more joint problems. But common sense has not been canceled, there is a big difference when you have 65 kg on your knees. or 110...

If the disease is characterized by a severe course or the conservative approach does not give positive dynamics, there is a need for surgery. Today, orthopedic surgeons carry out unique interventions (stage 2-4), in which the diseased knee joint or a separate part of it is replaced with an endoprosthesis, a biocompatible artificial analogue of a biological joint. We invite you to familiarize yourself with our videos and photos, which perfectly demonstrate the features of the procedure and its benefits.

Attention! It is impossible to cure this disease conservatively. Serious destruction cannot be corrected either by popular intra-articular injections or even by stem cell transplantation. Therefore, do not hope that newfangled minimally invasive and non-invasive techniques will magically help restore damaged hyaline cartilage, which, due to physiological characteristics, is not capable of regeneration. Alternative and official conservative medicine can only slow down unfavorable pathogenesis, and even then mainly only in the early phase of its development.

Endoprosthetics is the only orthopedic method that can relieve the patient from hellish pain and disability caused by gonarthrosis. There is currently no alternative to it! Replacement of the knee joint with a durable implant is carried out in the surgical department of orthopedics at a specialized clinic. Let us draw your attention: in order to achieve the most complete recovery after knee replacement, you should definitely undergo a special course of a rehabilitation treatment program.

With correctly performed implantation surgery and impeccable rehabilitation (it lasts on average 3-4 months), a person returns to a full life. Of course, he will need to follow simple rules so that the new knee joint can function without problems for at least 15 years. What is most remarkable is that 15 years is not the limit. Modern endoprosthetic knee designs, as shown by clinical observations of patients who have undergone this operation, in most cases last 20-25 years.

Knee replacement in the Czech Republic: guarantees, prices, rehabilitation, reviews and statistics.

Find out more

Indications for knee x-ray

Since X-ray radiation has, albeit a small, negative effect on the human body, its use must be justified by the presence of certain indications.

Redness and swelling with fever

When swelling appears in the knee area, the skin turns red, and the body temperature rises (even if it is 37℃), we can talk about a pathology such as edema. It can be the result of injury - bruise, sprain, dislocation, and so on. Bursitis, that is, inflammation of the joint capsule, can also provoke swelling. Other causes of knee swelling include:

• tendinitis;
• gout;
• septic arthritis;
• osteoporosis;
• polyarthritis.

Joint deformity

Constant intense stress on the knee joint can lead to wear and tear or, in medical terms, degenerative-dystrophic disease. Most often this is deforming arthrosis, or gonarthrosis. The cartilage tissue located at the junction of the tibia and femur wears out, becomes thinner and loses function. The patient feels pain when walking, a crunch in the knee, flexion and extension of the legs may be limited. The severity of these and other signs of joint deformation depends on the stage of development of the disease.

Bone displacement

Displacement of the bones of the knee joint is a rare but dangerous injury. It may be of traumatic or congenital origin. The kneecap is able to move under direct force, while the muscle tissue of the thigh contracts sharply. External displacements are the most common. Taking an x-ray in two projections

, the displacement of the bones can be determined quite accurately if compared with what a healthy knee joint looks like in a picture with a description.

Joint pain

Pain in the knee joint can be signs of arthritis, arthrosis, osteoporosis and other diseases of the musculoskeletal system. An X-ray examination will allow you to accurately make a diagnosis, determine the degree of development of the disease, and track it over time (if you take pictures periodically, but not exceeding the prescribed norm).

How is a knee x-ray done?

How to do an X-ray of the knee joints can be explained quite simply. This is a painless and quick procedure. It lasts literally a few seconds, but the development, interpretation and description of X-ray images of the knee joint require some waiting (about 10-15 minutes). The patient lies on the work table of the X-ray machine on his back, and the scanner is pointed at the knee area. A picture is taken in 2-3 seconds, during which you cannot move. If we are talking about a complex fracture or dislocation, the picture can be taken in several projections, for example, additionally in the side.

Contrast radiography: cases

X-ray with contrast is the most informative diagnostic procedure. The injected contrast agent helps to clearly visualize the boundaries of the joint, assess its structure and density.

Suspicion of pathology of the articular membrane

A simple x-ray may not provide a complete picture of the condition of the articular (synovial) membrane or information about the presence of inflammation. Pain in the knee can be caused precisely by inflammation of such a membrane, and not by pathology of the bone tissue.

To identify old ligament and joint injuries

An X-ray examination with contrast helps determine whether the cause of pain or dysfunction of the knee is an old injury to the ligaments, tendons, or a primary pathology.

Suspicion of a tumor

Using an X-ray of the knee joint

With contrast, you can confirm or refute the presence of a bone tumor. It is possible to assess the degree of its development, size, and exact location.

Detection of intra-articular pathology (foreign body)

X-ray with a contrast agent will help to accurately determine the location of the foreign body in the knee joint. In the future, such images can be used during surgery to remove this foreign body.

Laboratory diagnostics

In order to understand how to check the joints of the whole body, you need to donate blood. First of all, you need to do a general extended blood test. Based on this information, the doctors at our clinic will determine in which direction to prescribe examinations.

For example, deviations from the norm of leukocytes, erythrocytes, platelets indicate inflammation. This means it makes sense to suspect arthritis. In this case, the doctor prescribes blood tests for C-reactive protein.

If gouty arthritis is suspected, creatine, urea, and antibodies to human gamma globulin should be tested. You will also need a general urine test with sediment microscopy and determination of uric acid. To identify infectious arthritis, an analysis of synovial fluid for chlamydia and gonococcus is needed.

Contraindications for radiography

Pregnancy

For women during pregnancy, almost all diagnostic procedures except ultrasound are contraindicated. X-rays are contraindicated in the first place, since their radiation can negatively affect the development of the fetus and provoke the appearance of serious pathologies in it.

Metal prostheses and bolts in the knee

The metal screens X-rays and prevents them from reaching the film on which the image is created. As a result, the image turns out unclear and unsuitable for further analysis and diagnosis.

Severe obesity distorts the image

Large fat deposits complicate the passage of X-rays, and the image may turn out to be uninformative and unsuitable for analysis. In this case, the patient will still receive a dose of negative radiation.

Schizophrenia

Since it is difficult to predict how X-ray radiation will affect the condition of a patient suffering from schizophrenia, the use of this diagnostic method is not recommended. In addition, such a patient, not fully in control of himself, may not be able to remain still during the scan, which will negatively affect the quality of the image.

Risks

Observations have shown that X-rays of the knee joint are practically safe. However, there is some risk of radiation exposure to the body, but the diagnostic value of the study greatly outweighs the risks. It is important to know that radiologists use the minimum amount of radiation necessary to achieve the best results.

Young people are more sensitive to radiation and are at greater risk of harmful effects from radiation, especially during childhood and growing up.