Surrounding the knee joint is the synovial membrane, which consists of soft tissue folds that lubricate the knee joint with synovial fluid. For a number of reasons, the synovial membrane can become inflamed.
When inflammation becomes too great, part of the synovial membrane, the medial plica, can become pinched by the kneecap. As the following video on synovial plica surgery demonstrates, the plica can be removed with an instrument called a shaver blade.
Synovial plica surgery can be performed using an arthroscope — a miniaturized, fiber-optic camera inserted into a small surgical incision.
The orthopedics departments of John C. Lincoln Hospitals invite you to watch this interactive synovial plica surgery video.