What is Meniscus Tear?
The meniscus is a type of C-shaped cartilage that sits within your knee joint between your thigh bone and shin bone. Each knee joint has two menisci—one on the outside of the knee (called the lateral menisci) and one on the inside of the knee (called the medial menisci).The medial and lateral menisci act as shock-absorbers and also provide cushioning and stability to the knee, which is why any tear or damage to a meniscus results in pain, swelling, and sometimes, a feeling that the knee is giving out.
The knee has several parts, including bones, tendons, ligaments and cartilage. All of them work together to make sure the knee functions well enough for walking, running, jumping, sitting and standing. Two C-shaped pieces of cartilage known as the medial and lateral menisci have the important job of absorbing shock between the shinbone and the thigh bone, preventing premature wear and tear. Each meniscus is prone to tearing when the knee twists, making meniscus tears one of the most common knee injuries.
Although meniscus tears can cause discomfort and make it difficult to straighten the knee, there are several treatment options. In many cases, a meniscus tear heals on its own with rest and other conservative treatments. If the pain persists, surgery can reduce pain and restore function.
What causes Meniscus Tear?
Most commonly, a meniscus tear results from an acute injury to the knee, often from a sudden twist of the knee while squatting during a sports activity.
Examples of sports that increase a person’s risk for a menisci tear include:
- Soccer
- Football
- Basketball
- Baseball
- Skiing
- Wrestling
But meniscus tears can also occur due to age-related degenerative (wear-and-tear) changes (knee osteoarthritis).As people age, their menisci weaken and become more brittle and prone to damage.
Everyday movements like getting up improperly from a chair can be enough to cause a meniscus tear.
Symptoms
Many people report a popping sensation as the tear occurs. Following this type of injury, you may experience pain, stiffness, swelling and reduced range of motion. Depending on the severity of the tear, some people also have difficulty straightening the affected leg or report feeling as if the injured knee is about to “give out” while walking or engaging in other types of physical activity.
Symptoms of Achilles Tendinitis
- Heel pain and ankle pain.
- Stiffness or tenderness in the back of your heel
- Leg weakness.
- Swelling
- Discomfort standing on your toes
Diagnosis
- A doctor performs an MRI on a patient’s knee
- A physical examination can help determine if you have a meniscus tear or a different type of knee injury. During this exam, your doctor may bend your knee, straighten it out and then try to rotate it. If this test causes clicking, pain or other symptoms, a meniscus tear is likely. Several knee injuries cause the same symptoms, so your doctor may also order an X-ray or MRI to make a definitive diagnosis.
- X-rays don’t show injuries to the soft tissues, but they can rule out problems with the bones of the knee. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) shows more detail, so your doctor may be able to use the images to diagnose a meniscus tear or another problem with the soft tissues of the knee.
Treatment
- Depending on how big the tear is and where exactly it’s positioned, treatment for a meniscus tear may be able to start without surgery. If the tear is located in the outer part of the meniscus, it may be able to heal by itself because it is well-supplied with blood and all the healing nutrients in it.
- Arthritis-related tears, for example, generally improve after some time. In such cases, rest and avoiding high impact activities that involve pivoting or twisting the knee may be recommended.
- Other non-surgical treatments for meniscus tears include using crutches to reduce the pressure on the knee, and icing and elevating the knee for 15 minutes at a time to reduce swelling and pain. An elastic bandage or sleeve may be worn over the knee to help keep the swelling down.
- Over-the-counter pain medications like nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs may also be taken. To strengthen the muscles around the knee and support the knee itself, physical therapy may likewise be able to help.
- A patient may have recourse to meniscal surgery if the knee still hurts even after non-surgical treatments have been tried. If a tear takes place in the inner part of the meniscus, it is likely to need surgery because blood can’t reach this inner part due to the absence of blood vessels.
- Knee Arthroscopy is a surgical treatment that may be used to trim the meniscus in a procedure called a Partial Meniscectomy. In Meniscal Repair, the torn meniscus is stitched back together, a technique which has been shown to be successful and suitable for younger patients with certain kinds of meniscus tears.
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