Integrated Korean Medicine Treatment for Infrapatellar Plica Syndrome: Two Clinical Cases

Abstract

A plica is an embryological remnant in the knee that usually disappears by 6 months of age. Its persistence can cause plica syndrome, which is characterized by inflammation-related symptoms. One of its main symptoms is knee pain with a clicking sound when standing or sitting. This problem is frequently hard to detect with X-rays. Plica syndrome usually occurs in middle-aged men who are fond of hiking and in women who usually engage in household activities. This case study presents two patients diagnosed with infrapatellar plica syndrome, which was identified as the cause of their anterior knee pain. Both patients underwent magnetic resonance imaging, which confirmed the diagnosis, and received integrated Korean medicine treatment, including pharmacopuncture, acupuncture, and herbal medicine. Evaluations using the pain scale scores showed function improvement and pain reduction. Furthermore, this study confirmed the effectiveness of the integrated Korean medicine treatment for plica syndrome caused by daily activities.

Keywords

• acupuncture
• knee joint
• patella