Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Oh my Ortho

At this time of the year students are starting their holidays, and me? we the medical students are just starting our new sem. Climbing our ways up the rocky hills of new posting and seeing new lecturers or docors.

I am now on Orthopaedics posting. This is the first time i'm expose to all these bones and pathology.

I was just returning from Dr Shahrul's 1 hour bedside class. We had expected that the dr would surely blame our little knowledge and skills in the poor presentation in front of the patient. It was a case of joint pain at the knee. Suspect patient had Anterior Collateral Ligament tear. A complete one by several test that i am still not friendly of yet!!.

Our friend who demonstrated just now was going into a drama like presentation on how the patient fall during a football match.Before she continues long the Doctor interrupt and told us that to make a good presentation of the state of the patient, we had to know arrange it in order and had reason for every statement we make. We had to make a clear picture of how the incident occur, how long has it occur, how long does it take to swell, whether the match was a tournament or not, whether the patient is a rich guy or not and also how does the patient walk. It all leads to our differential diagnosis. or our suspected diseases the patient is having.

Somehow let me share something today. Its about anatomy or structure of the knee.


The knee is one of the largest and most complex joints in the body. The knee joins the thigh bone (femur) to the shin bone (tibia). The smaller bone that runs alongside the tibia (fibula) and the kneecap (patella) are the other bones that make the knee joint.
Tendons connect the knee bones to the leg muscles that move the knee joint. Ligaments join the knee bones and provide stability to the knee:
  • The anterior cruciate ligament prevents the femur from sliding backward on the tibia (or the tibia sliding forward on the femur).
  • The posterior cruciate ligament prevents the femur from sliding forward on the tibia (or the tibia from sliding backward on the femur).
  • The medial and lateral collateral ligaments prevent the femur from sliding side to side.
Two C-shaped pieces of cartilage called the medial and lateral menisci act as shock absorbers between the femur and tibia.
Numerous bursae, or fluid-filled sacs, help the knee move smoothly.


Then what i get from this session is it's really important to have the experience of doing physical examination especially at the knee. so many of them, the test to be done.

Well, thats all from now. i'll try to improve my post next time insyaAlah. hope it benefit you and me.