Meniscal Injuries of the Knee Joint: Diagnosis, Surgical Treatment, and Rehabilitation Methods

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to present the experience of spectral treatment of meniscal injuries of the knee joint in the Department of Pediatric Diseases of the Faculty of Medicine, Samarkand State Medical University with a focus on surgical and rehabilitation interventions and postoperative outcomes. Meniscal lesions are in the list of the most common orthopedic conditions influencing mobility, and the general deterioration of joint health in the long-term perspective. The increasing rates of knee trauma resulting from workplace accidents, sports injuries, and degenerative changes have boosted the need for proper treatment and management approaches in Uzbekistan. Even in the contemporary operative era of arthroscopy and physiotherapy, there is still a considerable knowledge gap in patients who would benefit most from meniscal repair, especially in developing countries. Convenience sampling was used, employing legal data on 150 patients who underwent meniscectomy and meniscus repair between 2020 and 2024. The effectiveness of the treatment procedure was followed by the clinical examination, MRI, and final post-surgical rehabilitation results. The study suggests that while meniscus repair has been shown to have lower re-operation rates, longer long-term complications, and superior functional results, meniscectomy continues to be the most performed procedure in Samarkand because there is a lack of access to new techniques and skills training. The architecture of the surgical practice was found to vary widely and patients who had been able to undergo physiotherapy practice cycles had their recovery periods significantly reduced than those who had no adequate rehabilitation practices. Of these, the need for standard shared care pathways, early access to appropriate follow-up care, and a greater understanding of the role of regenerative procedures in the management of the injured worker in the form of platelet-rich plasma (PRP), stem cells, etc exists more urgently. Solving these issues will increase the overall level of treatment for patients, decrease the chance of developing osteoarthritis, and increase the quality of orthopedics in the area. This brings to the need for further research for affordable rehabilitation protocols, in addition to further studies done on the long-term effects of meniscal preservation procedures to enhance orthopedic practice, especially in low-income health care settings.