Definition
The Plica Syndrome is a complex of symptoms that consists mainly of pain and impaired movement in the affected organ system. The cause of a plica syndrome is a skin fold that has not receded as it should in the course of life.
Cause/Forms
A plica is a physiological skin fold that exists in various organ systems of the human body. Its function is to form a reserve of skin, which is necessary in mechanically stressed regions of the body. This skin fold is largest at birth and recedes again in the course of life.
In some cases, it is no longer detectable in adulthood, and in some cases remnants of this skin fold still remain. In the so-called plica syndrome, this skin fold is incompletely receded. There is also a plica in the area of the knee joint, which extends from the inside of the knee joint in a central direction.
There is only limited space available in the knee joint due to the anatomical conditions. The plica, which is not completely receded, does fit into the knee joint, but can cause discomfort. This discomfort is caused by friction between the cartilage and the plica with every movement, and pain can also be caused by the plica becoming trapped in the joint space.
The friction between the plica and the cartilage of the joint surface does not initially cause the patient any discomfort, as the cartilage still has a protective effect. However, increasing friction causes wear and tear of the cartilage and exposes the bone in the area of the joint surface. As soon as the bone is exposed and the skin fold rubs against the bone, the patient experiences pain.
Pain can be triggered by movements in particular. At the beginning of a plica syndrome, when the cartilage is still partially intact, pain in the knee joint occurs only after heavy loads have been applied. However, as soon as the plica syndrome is at an advanced stage and the bone on which the plica is rubbing is increasingly exposed, pain increasingly occurs at rest. In addition to the pain, which can occur either motion-dependent or at rest, the pain-afflicted patient will also adopt a relieving posture in order to alleviate corresponding complaints. This relieving posture, if carried out for a long time, also leads to incorrect posture, which in turn can lead to complaints.
