Introduction
The stability of the knee joint is ensured by several tendons and ligament structures. The anterior cruciate ligament rupture is one of the most common ligament injuries in the knee joint. In addition to swelling and pain, it also causes instability in the knee.
There is a risk that the lower leg slips forward or luxates in relation to the upper leg. In most cases, stability is restored by a so-called cruciate ligament plastic surgery. The use of a splint is very important, especially in post-operative treatment, and a splint can also be applied in the preoperative area (before the operation).
Definition/Description
A cruciate ligament splint or knee orthosis has the task of immobilizing the knee joint. This is done by means of metal rods that extend from the thigh (femur) to the knee joint (Articulatio genus) and on to the lower leg. These metal rods are inserted into a kind of Velcro system, which allows the splint to be attached to the thigh and lower leg according to the thickness of the patient’s legs in such a way that the splint sits firmly and does not slip off, but also does not cut into the patient’s leg.
The advantage of many of the splints is that the angle can be variably adjusted. This means the angle at which the thigh and lower leg are held together. On each side of the knee there is a wheel or similar mechanism with which a fixed angle can be set or a maximum possible flexion measurement.
Reason for use
A splint for a cruciate ligament rupture can also be used before surgery (preoperatively). If an injury is present that causes enormous instability in the knee joint, which could lead to further complications, the application of a splint on the knee joint may be indicated even before surgery. Another reason may simply be the patient’s pain problem, which can be improved by immobilizing the knee with a splint.
Furthermore, a strong swelling of the knee joint can lead to the application of a splint, since this can accelerate the decongestant swelling of the knee. The use of a splint is of central importance in the post-operative area, i.e. in the follow-up treatment of a knee operation. If, for example, cruciate ligament plastic surgery is performed during the operation, the splint is relevant to prevent the plastic from tearing.
In this procedure, a less relevant muscle tendon is used as a cruciate ligament replacement and fixed in the bone within the knee joint. The anterior cruciate ligament prevents the lower leg from slipping away (luxating). It is stretched during flexion of the knee. After the operation, stretching and pulling at the fixation points in the bone should be prevented at all costs, as otherwise there would be a risk of the knee being torn out of the bone. The same applies to other ligament structures in a different direction of movement.
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