[Do meniscus injuries affect postural stability?].
BACKGROUND
Meniscal lesions are known to cause a loss of proprioception, which plays an important role in the regulation of postural stability. It is unclear, however, whether meniscus injuries adversely affect not only the sense of joint position but also postural control. The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of meniscal lesions on postural stability.


METHODS
In this prospective study, postural stability was assessed by posturography in 27 patients with unilateral meniscal lesions. Both the injured and uninjured legs were tested and compared for significant differences using a t-test.


RESULTS
Despite the presence of an arthroscopically confirmed meniscal lesion, none of the stability indexes that we calculated revealed significant differences in postural stability between the injured and uninjured sides.


CONCLUSIONS
It was surprising to note that the loss of proprioception in patients with meniscus injuries did not influence postural stability. Patients with functional knee instability must therefore be examined for the presence of further injuries because a meniscal lesion alone cannot explain instability symptoms.
Palm
H-G
HG
Abteilung für Unfallchirurgie und Orthopädie, Bundeswehrkrankenhaus Ulm, Oberer Eselsberg 40, 89081, Ulm, Deutschland. HG_Palm@yahoo.de
Laufer
C
C
von Lübken
F
F
Achatz
G
G
Friemert
B
B
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007593:Joint Instability / Q000503:physiopathology; D007718:Knee Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008465:Mechanoreceptors / Q000502:physiology; D008592:Menisci, Tibial / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology*; D011434:Proprioception / Q000502:physiology; D012016:Reference Values; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000295:instrumentation; D000070600:Tibial Meniscus Injuries; D016474:Weight-Bearing / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult