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There are usually two menisci in each knee. They are made of strong fibrocartilage and are C-shaped. They are both on the inside and outside the knees.

The menisci help in various roles in our knees. First of all, they help in transmitting body weight equally from one bone to another. This ensures that body and knee stability is achieved. The menisci also support the full body weight and cushions the bones of the knee joints from grinding against each other while doing activities and causing harm. An injury to the meniscus can cause a knee injury and hamper the knee’s normal functioning. A meniscus tear is one of the most common meniscus injuries.

What is a Meniscus Tear and What are the Symptoms?

Meniscus tears come in two types; traumatic and degenerative. Traumatic involves people engaging in active activities, e.g a sports injury. While degenerative meniscal tears, caused by the wearing of the tissues, occur mainly in older adults.

When a meniscus tear occurs, you may experience extreme pain in your knee joint. The knee joint may also be inflamed or swollen and a locking or catching sensation can be experienced. In some instances you may feel like the leg is “giving itself away” or knee buckling. Feelings of weakness in the affected leg are also likely to be experienced and stiffness due to the injury is also part of the meniscus tear symptoms.

After being diagnosed by your doctor, you may need help from a specialist who specifically deals with meniscus tears. Some of them include primary sports care doctors, physicians, and orthopedic surgeons who are well trained in sports medicine to deal with such.

What is the Treatment for Meniscus Tears?

The treatment that you receive for meniscus tears largely depends on various factors in play. Age, symptoms, and activity levels are used to determine the appropriate treatment. Also, the size, type, and location of the knee injury can determine if the treatment is surgical or non-surgical. Most meniscus tears do not require surgical intervention immediately.

For non-surgical treatments, a physical therapy program would be required. This would help in reducing the pain and swelling and maintain the full motion of the injured knee. This would help in ensuring that the injured person is able to do basic stuff like walking and climbing stairs. An oral nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medication may be given to the patient.

After the stabilization of the initial pain, muscle strengthening may be required and platelet-rich plasma may be injected to aid in the recovery of the patient. Corticosteroid medication can also help eliminate pain and inflammation in the injured knee.

Sometimes the injury may be dire and hence surgery is required. In most cases, knee arthroscopy is the most common surgery that is done. This involves making a small incision on the knee using an arthroscope and a small fiber optic camera is used to guide the surgeon who with the help of special surgical equipment would carefully trim the affected area and clear it off the torn fragments.

In some instances, the surgeon may repair the meniscus tear with sutures to ensure maximum healing. Suturing is stitching the torn pieces together instead of removing them. The surgeon would also ensure that the part with the blood supply is promptly repaired to ensure quick healing since the meniscus plays an important part in the long-term health and function of the knee.

The period it takes to completely recover from a meniscus tear usually depends on the type of injury and the surgery performed on the injured knee. A few days to six weeks is the usual timeline that it takes to completely heal and rehabilitate pre-injury abilities.

The board certified, fellowship-trained orthopaedic physicians at the Ozark Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Center have years of experience in diagnosing and treating injuries of the knee such as meniscus tears. Our team is dedicated to keeping you in the game, and living an active lifestyle. If you are dealing with a meniscus tear, reach out to us. Call (479) 521-2752  today.