Torn meniscus
An injury to the knee can cause several different problems that affect normal daily life, sport participation and performance, or work-related demands and duties. One such injury is a meniscus tear. A tear to a meniscus can occur with an acute injury to the knee or can occur over time as a degenerative process. Meniscus tears are common, occurring up to 33% of all sports injuries.
A meniscus is a C-shaped soft tissue structure made up of fibrocartilage that is found inside the knee joint that sits on top of the tibia bone. There are two menisci in each knee – a medial meniscus (inside) and a lateral meniscus (outside). The job of the meniscus is to act as a shock absorber and protect the articular cartilage that covers the bones of the joint, it supplies nutrition to the cartilage, and acts as a stabilizer of the knee joint. An injury to a meniscus can lead to cartilage damage and eventually knee arthritis.
Causes of Meniscal Injury include: (1) twisting or pivoting with the knee bent, (2) rapidly changing direction while running, (3) kneeling, (4) squatting, (5) direct blow or trauma to the knee, or (6) no injury at all and the aging process causes degeneration of the meniscus. Previous knee ligament tears or injuries can also potentially lead to tearing or degeneration of the meniscus.
Signs and Symptoms:
Treatment and Outcomes: With a sudden onset of symptoms, the priority of treatment is to reduce the pain and swelling of the knee joint with ice, medications, and sometimes immobilization. Your physician may take an x-ray or order an MRI to assess the degree of damage to the meniscus. Meniscus tears very rarely completely heal on their own without surgical intervention. The most often performed procedure is a partial removal of the damaged meniscus through arthroscopic surgery. The orthopedic surgeon will only remove the damaged part of the meniscus keeping as much of the viable tissue intact. Less than 25% of the time, the damaged meniscus can be surgically repaired by securing the tear with a stitch or other fixation device.
Some complications that can arise from a meniscal injury is that once the initial pain and swelling is resolved, meniscus tears may not always exhibit any symptoms. A person can go for years without noticing any knee pain, locking, or swelling yet the meniscus is still torn. Symptoms can recur at different times without a specific cause or incident. The on again and off again cycle of knee symptoms is an indication that the meniscus tear is affecting the knee joint.
Physical Therapy helps in restoring full function of the knee after surgery. If surgery is not indicated or elected to be done, working with a physical therapist is imperative to regain strength and stability to the knee without making the injury worse. Educating people on proper exercises as well as informing them what exercises or activities that should be avoided is a key element of physical therapy. Proper exercise to restore normal range of motion of the knee, improve strength and stability to the knee joint, and improving the ability to perform dynamic activities is vital to fully recover from a meniscal injury. Once the meniscus tear is surgically removed or repaired, through post-operative physical therapy, recovery takes between 6 – 12 weeks.
Once the rehabilitation process is completed, most people return to full participation in their activities and sports.
A meniscus is a C-shaped soft tissue structure made up of fibrocartilage that is found inside the knee joint that sits on top of the tibia bone. There are two menisci in each knee – a medial meniscus (inside) and a lateral meniscus (outside). The job of the meniscus is to act as a shock absorber and protect the articular cartilage that covers the bones of the joint, it supplies nutrition to the cartilage, and acts as a stabilizer of the knee joint. An injury to a meniscus can lead to cartilage damage and eventually knee arthritis.
Causes of Meniscal Injury include: (1) twisting or pivoting with the knee bent, (2) rapidly changing direction while running, (3) kneeling, (4) squatting, (5) direct blow or trauma to the knee, or (6) no injury at all and the aging process causes degeneration of the meniscus. Previous knee ligament tears or injuries can also potentially lead to tearing or degeneration of the meniscus.
Signs and Symptoms:
- Pain while standing on the affected leg
- Localized Swelling and/or Tenderness along the knee joint line
- Locking of the Knee – Inability to fully straighten the knee
- Giving Way or Bucking of the Knee Joint
Treatment and Outcomes: With a sudden onset of symptoms, the priority of treatment is to reduce the pain and swelling of the knee joint with ice, medications, and sometimes immobilization. Your physician may take an x-ray or order an MRI to assess the degree of damage to the meniscus. Meniscus tears very rarely completely heal on their own without surgical intervention. The most often performed procedure is a partial removal of the damaged meniscus through arthroscopic surgery. The orthopedic surgeon will only remove the damaged part of the meniscus keeping as much of the viable tissue intact. Less than 25% of the time, the damaged meniscus can be surgically repaired by securing the tear with a stitch or other fixation device.
Some complications that can arise from a meniscal injury is that once the initial pain and swelling is resolved, meniscus tears may not always exhibit any symptoms. A person can go for years without noticing any knee pain, locking, or swelling yet the meniscus is still torn. Symptoms can recur at different times without a specific cause or incident. The on again and off again cycle of knee symptoms is an indication that the meniscus tear is affecting the knee joint.
Physical Therapy helps in restoring full function of the knee after surgery. If surgery is not indicated or elected to be done, working with a physical therapist is imperative to regain strength and stability to the knee without making the injury worse. Educating people on proper exercises as well as informing them what exercises or activities that should be avoided is a key element of physical therapy. Proper exercise to restore normal range of motion of the knee, improve strength and stability to the knee joint, and improving the ability to perform dynamic activities is vital to fully recover from a meniscal injury. Once the meniscus tear is surgically removed or repaired, through post-operative physical therapy, recovery takes between 6 – 12 weeks.
Once the rehabilitation process is completed, most people return to full participation in their activities and sports.