For some patients, a tear does not get into trouble to cause severe pain and swelling. Others present with knee pain on the inner side of the knee is severe enough that they cannot walk, run, squat or twist. These patients often require surgery involves trimming the torn part of the cartilage in order to reduce knee pain.
Surgery does not fix the tear itself. Continuing to walk could potentially worsen the meniscus tear in some situations. Stop walking will decrease the strength of leg muscles, which may increase the difficulty of recovery. How do you tear your meniscus? A torn meniscus is a very common injury in sports which is caused by sudden twisting or other movements in joint. Older adults generally have an increased risk of getting involved in knee injuries such as a torn meniscus because of degenerative tears occur as part of progressive wear in the knee cartilage as people age.
Generally speaking, a torn meniscus is more common for people over Younger people have less chance of getting torn meniscus because their meniscus is fairly tough and rubbery.
A meniscus is a disk-shaped piece of cartilage that acts as a shock absorber inside the knee joint. You might have heard of doctor or patients discussing about having a torn cartilage, basically a torn cartilage is just a different name for a torn meniscus. Running, squatting and contact sports are more likely to cause torn meniscus because of the high impact on the knee and they are more likely to cause forceful twisting or rotation of the joint.
Types of meniscus tears can be categorized into degenerative tears or traumatic tears. In degenerative tears, degenerative meniscal lesions are commonly found as the indication of an early stage of osteoarthritis for patients over age Traumatic tears are longitudinal vertical tears especially in the red-red and red-white zones which are a proper indication for repair or non-removal.
Types of Meniscus Tears can also be summarized into 6 common types. Can a meniscus tear heal on its own? As can be seen in the following illustration: red and red-white zones are categorized by the amount of meniscal blood supply. The meniscus red zone receives enough amount of blood supply hence a torn meniscus in this zone may heal without surgery, whereas the injury occurs in the white-white zone usually require surgery to repair. How to tell if you have a torn meniscus?
If the patient has experienced a torn meniscus, the knee will get swollen and painful initially and they may face the difficulty of straightening and bending the leg as well as feeling the knee get locked up or stuck. The symptoms of torn cartilage in knee can include:.
Walking can help keep your knee cartilage lubricated with synovial fluid which plays a vital role in reducing friction between the articular cartilage of synovial joints when you are walking or doing exercises. As we mentioned above, the meniscus is a piece of cartilage that acts as a shock absorber between your thighbone and shinbone. According to a study of cartilage deflation from a group at Columbia in , which was led by Gerard Ateshian. The research has shown that synovial fluid is slowly leaking out of the porous cartilage in your knee after we are siting or standing for long periods.
Loss of synovial fluid means less fluid to lubricate our knee cartilage, which can cause a gradual decrease of cartilage thickness and increase the friction on cartilage surfaces which can eventually cause degenerative tears and the higher tendency of traumatic tears for meniscus.
This is also the reason why your knees feel stiff and sore after sitting for a long time. The crucial finds from this study revealed that continuous knee movement could prevent the cartilage deflation process and interstitial pressure from walking or exercising could encourage cartilage to reabsorb the synovial fluid leaked when we are not moving.
Hence by maintaining an active lifestyle by walking with a small distance on a daily basis after having torn meniscus is a great way to keep your knee cartilage lubricated. Walking on a torn meniscus will not make it worse. By starting with a small amount of time to walk daily along with physical therapy can help you to speed up recovery and regain control of muscles.
Walking is a excellent way to loosen your knee joint and your therapist can also evaluate the way you walk to observe any issues that may contribute to a torn meniscus.
In most cases, the injury can heal within months and surgery may not be required. You are probably wondering when to see a doctor if you may have a torn meniscus injury? If you are experiencing joint locking, extreme swelling of the knee, severe pain when moving the joint and you are unable to put any weight on the knee.
Then you should consult the doctor immediately. Sometimes even major tears that are found during MRI may not require surgery. The initial treatment for torn meniscus should be aimed at reducing swelling thus your knee should be treated first with physiotherapy and observe if the symptoms of swelling, pain and joint locking can be relieved over time.
One of the best indicators of the necessity for torn meniscus surgery is to see if the swelling and or pain persists 2 weeks after rehab. If the swelling and or pain return after rehab, then most likely, surgery is required. Please note surgery itself can not guarantee for future traumatic tears and the result of the recovery. Hence please consult your doctor if swelling persist after rehab and take time to discuss your situation thoroughly.
Please remember that a diagnosis of a torn meniscus is not an indication for surgery. A key indication will be determined by where the tear is located, the pattern of the tear as well as whether the swelling and pain can be relieved after rehab. Meniscus tears are common in contact sports such as football, basketball and volleyball. Doctors will usually remind patients who have torn meniscus that some exercises can put too much pressure on your knees. It tends to wear down over time and become more vulnerable to tearing as you age, creating an injury known as a degenerative meniscus tear.
Other possible symptoms include:. It depends on a few different factors. A slight tear might not feel so bad to you. You may very well be able to stand and walk on a leg that has a torn meniscus in the knee.
But is it a good idea? Some meniscus tears can heal on their own without surgery. Typically, the tears that occur in the outer part of the meniscus are the least likely to need surgical repair. You may be able to walk around without too much trouble as it heals over time.
You might have to take some over-the-counter pain medication. If your tear is more severe, you may need surgery to repair it and stabilize your knee. In that case, a healthcare professional might tell you to avoid putting weight on your knee for a few weeks after surgery. You and your doctor can discuss what you feel comfortable trying to do after surgery and how soon you can put weight on your knee again.
After you have surgery to repair a meniscus tear, you may need to build up your strength in the muscles of your leg that support your knee. Graduated rehabilitation exercises slowly increase in intensity and range of motion to avoid further injury. A review Trusted Source of studies spanning 21 years suggests that a faster rehabilitation with full weight bearing and early range of motion exercises might be a good path forward for many people.
Avoid squatting and pivoting, which are likely to place too much pressure on the knee. If you do need surgery, weight bearing is often limited afterward.
This is the area with the most blood supply. If the tear is here, it will likely heal on its own or with some conservative treatment. It may need surgery, depending on the pattern of the tear. Tears in this zone are unlikely to generate a healing response. So, the orthopedic surgeon may recommend surgery to promote healing. The most common patterns of meniscal tears are 2 , 6 :. These are usually a sign of degenerative problems.
It may need surgery to remove the flap. These are very common with age and osteoarthritis. The treatment focuses on managing the symptoms — if any. Depending on the symptoms, it may need surgery to induce healing. This type of tear splits the meniscus into upper and lower parts. But they can turn into flap tears.
As seen above, the best treatment will depend on the cause, location, and pattern of the meniscus tear. Conservative treatment for a torn meniscus refers to any non-surgical option. These generally include physical therapy and medication. The goal is to promote healing, strengthen the leg, reduce pain, and help you get back on track. Physiotherapy and strength training are great options for managing meniscus tears in most people.
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