OBJECTIVE

To review the research progress on the lower limb biomechanical characteristics of patients with discoid lateral meniscus (DLM) injury after surgery.

METHODS

By searching relevant domestic and international research literature on DLM, the postoperative characteristics of knee joint movement biomechanics, tibiofemoral joint stress distribution, lower extremity force line, and patellofemoral joint changes in patients with DLM injury were summarized.

RESULTS

Surgical treatment can lead to varying degrees of changes in the lower limb biomechanical characteristics of patients with DLM injury. Specifically, the kinematic biomechanics of the knee joint can significantly improve, but there are still problems such as extension deficits in the affected knee joint. The peak stress of the tibiofemoral joint decreases with the increase of the residual meniscus volume, and the degree of change is closely related to the residual meniscus volume. Preserving a larger volume of the meniscus, especially the anterior horn volume, helps to reduce stress concentration. The lower extremity force line will deviate outward after surgery, and the more meniscus is removed during surgery, the greater the change in the lower extremity force line after surgery. There are conditions such as cartilage degeneration, position and angle changes in the patellofemoral joint after surgery.

CONCLUSION

The changes in the lower limb biomechanical characteristics after DLM injury are closely related to the choice of surgical methods and rehabilitation programs. However, the mechanisms of biomechanical changes in multiple lower limb joints and individual differences still need to be further studied and clarified.