Meniscus Injuries

Meniscus Injuries

The meniscus is a floating cartilage in the knee which mainly acts as a shock absorber. There are two menisci, the inside or the medial meniscus and the outside or the lateral meniscus. The meniscus works to reduce the load on the cartilage of the knee, preventing the development of arthritis in the knee. There are different types of meniscus injuries based on the mechanism of injury, type of tear and time since injury. It is usually seen following a sudden twisting injury to the knee like when getting up from a low seated position or while playing sports. It is very important to address a meniscus injury at the earliest.

Symptoms of Meniscus Injury Include
  • Pain – usually localized to the site of the injury. Usually begins with a sharp twisting injury to the knee.
  • Clicking – that can be heard with certain movements of the knee.
  • Locking – where the knee gets stuck in certain positions, making it difficult to move freely.
  • Giving way – the knee feels unstable, giving the sense that you may fall.
The Treatment Options Include
  • Pain medications – A short course to reduce pain and reduce swelling.
  • Physiotherapy – To improve muscle control and strength to reduce the load on the knee .
  • Lifestyle modifications – Like reducing weight, avoiding activities which increase the load on the knee.
  • Intra articular injections – Like steroid or hyaluronic acid.
  • Arthroscopy – i.e. keyhole surgery is the gold standard surgical treatment for a meniscal injury.
Arthroscopic surgery
Arthroscopic surgery or keyhole surgery is the main stay surgical procedure for meniscal injuries.
There are two types of procedures performed
  • Partial meniscectomy – This is usually performed in the older patients with long standing tears. In these cases, the tear cannot be repaired due to poor tissue quality and the torn and non-functional part is removed allowing the remaining part of the meniscus to function appropriately. There is minimal recovery time with most patients able to return to daily life within a few weeks.
  • Meniscus repair – Here, the torn ends of the meniscus are repaired or sown back to each other allowing the meniscus to heal and regain full function. This is performed usually in younger patients when there is an acute traumatic injury.

There are a lot of factors to consider when deciding the appropriate treatment for a meniscus injury.

Consult your doctor to formulate a treatment plan for your personalized needs.