Knee A to Z

Wall slides are rehabilitation exercises to improve knee flexion.

Water on the knee refers to excess fluid inside the knee joint cavity (effusion).

The Wiberg Classification identifies patellar shape, and is used in documentation.

Windswept knees is the term given to the combination of a bow leg on one side with a knock knee on the other.

A wobble board is an exercise board with a rounded base - a useful item of rehab equipment.

The WOMAC is a scoring system for functional disability from osteoarthritis.

A xenograft is a graft taken from an animal for use in a different species, eg human.

X-rays of the knee will reveal the bones but not the soft tissues. The surgeon may need to 'interpret' the blank spaces to get information about the menisci or joint cartilage.

Yag laser is a form of laser which heats up the fluid within tissues, making the tissue shrivel up.

A surgical procedure used to lengthen tissues, usually where scarring has resulted in contracture. The surgeon makes a Z-shaped incision, and by rearranging the corners of the Z the structure can be lengthened.