Title: Plica Syndrome<br/>Author: Brian Corwell<br/><a href='http://umem.org/profiles/faculty/294/'>[Click to email author]</a><hr/><p> <strong>Plica Syndrome </strong></p> <p> -A painful impairment of knee function resulting from thickened and inflamed synovial folds</p> <p> Plicae are embryologic remnant inward folds of the synovial lining present in most knees</p> <p> Most plica are asymptomatic</p> <p> A pathological synovial plica can become inelastic, thickened and fibrotic. It may bowstring across the femoral trochlea at 70 to 100 degrees of knee flexion</p> <p> Can be a cause of anterior knee pain/mechanical Sxs</p> <p> Medial patellar plica most commonly involved</p> <p> </p> <p> Hx: Snapping sensation, pain w/ sitting or repetitive activity</p> <p> Anterior knee pain, clicking, clunking, and a popping sensation on knee loading activity such as squatting/stairs or with prolonged sitting</p> <p> Many present with history of blunt trauma to the anterior knee</p> <p> </p> <p> PE: A taut band of tissue that reproduces concordant pain with palpation</p> <p> Tenderness in the medial parapatellar region</p> <p> Painful, palpable medial parapatellar cord</p> <p> -This can be rolled and popped beneath the examiners finger</p> <p> </p> <p> The knee may be tender to the touch, swollen, and stiff </p> <p> Can be difficult to distinguish from other intra-articular conditions such as meniscal tears, articular cartilage injuries, or osteochondral lesions,</p> <p> The examiner can then palpate for the plica by rolling one finger over the plica fold, which is located around the joint lines in anterior knee compartment</p> <p> https://www.ortho.com.sg/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/medial-plica-syndrome-31-e1478966479644.jpg</p> <p> </p> <fieldset><legend>References</legend>
<p> Lee et al., 2017. Surg J. Synovial Plica Syndrome of the Knee: A Commonly Overlooked Cause of Anterior Knee Pain.</p> <p> </p> <p> </p> </fieldset>