Incidental Finding of a Thorn in the Left Knee Joint of an Amateur Football Player and Arthroscopic Removal

Abstract

Case: A 19-year-old male amateur footballer was referred to our center with complaints of relapsing and remitting pain, swelling, and reduced range of motion of the left knee. History, radiological, and laboratory findings were unrevealing, except for chronic synovitis. On arthroscopy, a 3.3 × 0.3-cm thorn was found embedded in the anteromedial aspect of the anterior cruciate ligament and was carefully removed. The postoperative course was uneventful. Conclusion: The foreign body must be considered as differential diagnoses in players presenting with unilateral chronic synovitis of the knee. Knee arthroscopy is the gold standard for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes when the history is unclear, and radiological investigations are inconclusive.