What is osteochondritis dissecans lesion?
Osteochondritis dissecans is a bone and cartilage condition that most often occurs in the knee. It has no known cause, but repetitive stress on the joint, low vitamin D and a genetic predisposition are often linked to this condition.
What is the most common site of osteochondritis dissecans?
The most common joints affected by osteochondritis dissecans are the knee, ankle and elbow, although it can also occur in other joints. The condition typically affects just one joint, however, some children can develop OCD in several joints.
How is osteochondral lesion treated?
The common treatment strategies of symptomatic OLTs include nonsurgical treatment with rest, cast immobilisation and use of NSAIDs; surgical treatment includes surgical excision of the lesion, excision and curettage, excision combined with curettage and microfracturing, filling of the defect with autogenous cancellous …
How do you treat OCD lesions?
Treatment
- Resting your joint. Avoid activities that stress your joint, such as jumping and running if your knee is affected.
- Physical therapy. Most often, this therapy includes stretching, range-of-motion exercises and strengthening exercises for the muscles that support the involved joint.
Does osteochondritis dissecans require surgery?
Treatment of osteochondritis dissecans may include nonoperative or operative intervention. Surgical treatment is indicated mainly by lesion stability, physeal closure, and clinical symptoms.
Can osteochondritis dissecans be cured?
What is the treatment of osteochondritis dissecans? There is no cure as such, but the condition can be treated by a variety of means depending on the size and location of the lesion as well as the age of the patient and the degree of symptoms.
What happens if osteochondritis dissecans is left untreated?
If left untreated, osteochondritis dissecans can damage the cartilage in the joint, and loose pieces of bone and cartilage may even break off into the joint. In the long term, untreated osteochondritis dissecans can also lead to arthritis. Osteochondritis dissecans most commonly affects the knee, ankle and elbow.
Is osteochondral lesion serious?
Osteochondral lesions of the talus are a reasonably infrequent cause of long-standing ankle pain and stiffness and are often the result of a severe ankle sprain type injury. The presence of an osteochondral lesion may initially go undetected and may manifest many months after the initial ankle injury.
Can an osteochondral lesion heal?
In general, osteochondral lesions do not heal on their own. Treatment is usually determined by the stability of the lesion and the amount of pain that it causes you. For small cartilage lesions, especially in younger patients, doctors typically prescribe immobilization with a removable cast, called a cam walker.
Do you need surgery for OCD lesion?
OCD will probably never completely heal, but it can be treated. There are two methods of treating JOCD: nonsurgical treatment to help the lesions heal, and surgery. Surgery is usually the only effective treatment for OCD.
How bad is osteochondritis dissecans?
What Are the Signs & Symptoms of Osteochondritis Dissecans? Osteochondritis dissecans causes pain in the affected joint. Exercise usually makes the pain worse. If it’s not treated, the condition can lead to pain, swelling, catching or locking of the joint, and possibly arthritis.
Can you recover from osteochondritis dissecans?
Osteochondritis dissecans happens most often in the knee, elbow, or ankle. It usually takes 3 months or longer to heal completely. If it heals completely, kids who have it usually don’t have any long-lasting problems.
Where does osteochondritis dessicans occur in the knee?
Osteochondral lesions or osteochondritis dessicans can occur in any joint, but are most common in the knee and ankle. Such lesions are a tear or fracture in the cartilage covering one of the bones in a joint. The cartilage can be torn, crushed or damaged and, in rare cases, a cyst can form in the cartilage.
How does osteochondritis dissecans cause loss of blood?
The lesion, which has multiple causes, has a loss of blood supply to a small portion of the bone. That bone then becomes separated from the rest of the bone surrounding it, and the bone, with its cartilage cap, becomes loose. This can be thought of as a fragment within a crater. As the fragment becomes loose or breaks off, the symptoms escalate.
Where do osteochondral lesions occur in the leg?
The cartilage can be torn, crushed or damaged and, in rare cases, a cyst can form in the cartilage. In the knee, such cartilage damage can occur between the femur (thigh bone) and the tibia (shin bone). In the ankle, osteochondral lesions usually occur on the talus, which is the bone that connects the leg to the foot.
How is osteochondritis dissecans treated in younger patients?
Treatment of OCD lesions is dictated by the extent of the lesion and the age of the patient at the time of diagnosis. Younger patients with minimal discomfort can be treated with rest and a period of non-weight bearing to allow the bony fragment to heal into its anatomic location.
