Disability from moderate instability of the knee is indicated by which finding?

Disability from moderate instability of the knee is indicated by which finding?

• A. Knee swelling
• B. Thigh atrophy
• C. Ankle instability
• D. Knee stiffness

Answer: (B)

Chronic knee instability leads to disuse and protective dropping out of activities, so the body's response is thinning of the thigh muscles, especially the quadriceps. This thigh atrophy reflects the functional impairment caused by the instability, showing that the knee problem is limiting the person’s ability to use the leg effectively. Swelling is more about acute inflammation, while knee stiffness and ankle instability don’t specifically capture the ongoing disability from knee instability in the same way muscle wasting does. Therefore thigh atrophy best signals disability from moderate knee instability.

Chronic knee instability leads to disuse and protective dropping out of activities, so the body's response is thinning of the thigh muscles, especially the quadriceps. This thigh atrophy reflects the functional impairment caused by the instability, showing that the knee problem is limiting the person’s ability to use the leg effectively. Swelling is more about acute inflammation, while knee stiffness and ankle instability don’t specifically capture the ongoing disability from knee instability in the same way muscle wasting does. Therefore thigh atrophy best signals disability from moderate knee instability.