The doctor also might order an X-ray to check for other conditions that can cause knee pain or a magnetic resonance imaging MRI scan to get a better look at the soft tissue of your knee. X-rays and MRIs are the best way to "look" inside the knee without doing surgery. Older people often get meniscus tears because their menisci become brittle and less flexible with age.
But for teens, meniscus tears usually happen because of an injury — often after twisting or turning the knee while it is bent and the foot is firmly planted. This might happen when:. Because they generally happen without any warning, meniscus tears can be hard to prevent. You can reduce your risk, though, by taking these precautions:. Minor tears usually don't need surgery, especially if they are on the outer part of the meniscus where there is a good supply of blood.
These tears should heal on their own fairly quickly. Treatment can include the following:. For severe tears or tears that don't respond to other forms of treatment, a doctor may have to perform surgery. Usually, this will be in the form of arthroscopic surgery, where a small camera is inserted into the knee to help surgeons see what they're doing without having to open the knee up.
Sometimes a surgeon can repair a torn meniscus. Other times, the surgeon will trim away the torn piece of the meniscus to stop it from interfering with the way the knee works. If you get surgery, the doctor may put your knee in a brace afterwards. This keeps the knee from moving around it while it heals. You might need to use crutches for a while. As with any sports injury, the key to healing meniscus tears — no matter how minor — is not to get back into play too quickly.
In addition moving around with a torn meniscus could pull fragments of the cartilage into the joint causing larger knee issues which could requiring more significant surgery in the future. Formed by three bones, the knee joint is typically a tough, strong joint.
But it is not necessarily the most flexible when it comes to rotating in certain directions. During some activities — especially contact sports — the force and degree of twisting your knee can tear some of the wedge-shaped cartilage that provides cushioning between your thigh bone and shinbone. This cartilage is your meniscus.
Each of your knees has two meniscus wedges. Meniscus tears are common among athletes, especially those who play sports that require a lot of squatting, twisting, and changing positions. If not treated, part of the meniscus may come loose and slip into the joint. You may need surgery to restore full knee function. Untreated meniscus tears can increase in size and lead to complications, such as arthritis. Until the tear can be treated arthroscopically , patients with a torn meniscus can use non-narcotic pain relievers, and should try to do quadriceps muscle contractions to prevent atrophy that is associated with knee pain and swelling.
One may also need to modify activities to avoid those that twist the knee. Surgery is the definitive treatment for torn meniscus. The surgery is done arthroscopically and will include either removal or repair of the torn part of meniscus. Repair can be done only when the tear lies in or just adjacent to the vascular zone of the meniscus. A traumatically torn meniscus usually requires arthroscopic surgical treatment.
This minimally invasive surgical treatment involves either removing or repairing the torn segment of meniscus using an arthroscope. Tears in the non-vascular region are unlikely to heal and therefore are removed. In the case of a degenerative meniscal tear associated with osteoarthritis , the expected outcome after surgery is different.
Although arthroscopically treating the torn meniscus and simultaneously trimming away any shaggy articular cartilage caused by the arthritis may eliminate mechanical symptoms such as catching or locking, the non-mechanical symptoms of osteoarthritis stiffness, achiness, weather-related pain may persist. Therefore, in the setting of a degenerative meniscal tear with osteoarthritis, the patient and doctor also need to discuss treatment alternatives for the arthritis such as injections into the knee or partial or total knee replacement.
More information about torn meniscus may be found at the web site of the American Society for Sports Medicine. Current research on the treatment of torn meniscus centers around the best method for repair of a torn meniscus and placement of a substitute meniscus when a total meniscal removal has been done previously. You are here Home Torn Meniscus. Torn Meniscus - torn knee cartilage not limited to athletes or sports In this article Basics of torn meniscus - torn knee cartilage Surgical Animation Symptoms Causes Diagnosis Treatment Research Summary of torn meniscus - torn knee cartilage Basics of torn meniscus-torn knee cartilage A torn meniscus is a tear in the cartilage of the knee.
Immediate medical attention A torn meniscus needs immediate attention when it "locks" the knee. Facts and myths Some people think that only athletes can tear a meniscus.
Surgical Animation Learn more about torn meniscus and view a surgical animation below. Symptoms Initial Symptoms Initial symptoms of a torn meniscus include well-localized pain and swelling in the knee. Symptoms A torn meniscus can also produce catching or locking of the knee. Pain A torn meniscus usually produces well-localized pain in the knee.
Progression Over weeks, the pain and swelling may decrease and activities of daily living may become tolerable. Secondary effects A torn meniscus often causes the knee to make extra joint fluid.
Mobility A torn meniscus can prevent normal pain-free motion of the knee and therefore can interfere with the patient's ability to climb stairs or get in and out of chairs and cars. Daily activities In addition to causing problems in activities of daily living, a torn meniscus usually interferes with the ability to participate in active sports, particularly when they involve twisting motions.
Prognosis A torn meniscus is certainly not life threatening. Conditions with similar symptoms Sometimes the symptoms of a torn meniscus can be confused with a fragment of arthritic articular cartilage that is hanging from the surface of the bone or that has broken free in the joint. Curability Symptoms of a torn meniscus, particularly pain, swelling, catching and locking, can be relieved by surgically removing or repairing the torn piece of meniscus.
Causes Meniscus tears can occur in all age groups. Degenerative Meniscal Tears Degenerative meniscal tears are thought to occur as part of the aging process when the collagen fibers within the meniscus start to break down and lend less support to the structure of the meniscus. Meniscal injury of the knee. Accessed Oct. Meniscal tears. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
Meniscal tear. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; Related Torn meniscus. Mayo Clinic Press Check out these best-sellers and special offers on books and newsletters from Mayo Clinic.
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