Medication
Recovery will take about 6 to 8 weeks if your meniscus tear is treated conservatively, without surgery. The time varies, depending on: The meniscus is a C-shaped band of cartilage that goes around the knee joint and cushions the junction of your thighbone (femur) and shinbone (tibia).
Procedures
- Meniscus – It acts like a shock absorber for your knees and it’s located just between the tibia and femur. ...
- Ligaments – All the bones in our body are joined with ligaments. ...
- Tendons – Your muscles are connected with bones by tendons. ...
- Collateral ligaments – Collateral ligaments are found at the side of your knees. ...
Therapy
Many times these tears are in a portion of the meniscus that does get blood supply so they could potentially heal on its own. If they do not heal naturally then surgical repair can sometimes be tried to help.
Self-care
Unfortunately, a torn meniscus is a fairly common injury among triathletes, but it doesn’t always have to mean surgery. Dr. Jordan Metzl explains. John is a 40-year-old triathlete who came in to see me with a painful knee and an MRI scan. “Doc”, he said, “my knee has been hurting for a few weeks, so I got an MRI from my primary care physician.
Nutrition
Can a torn Mensicus heal without surgery?
What happens if you leave a torn meniscus untreated?
Does a torn meniscus heal on its own?
Does a torn meniscus always require surgery?
Can a torn meniscus in the knee heal without surgery?
Meniscus tears are the most frequently treated knee injuries. Recovery will take about 6 to 8 weeks if your meniscus tear is treated conservatively, without surgery.
What is the best treatment for torn meniscus?
TreatmentRest. Avoid activities that aggravate your knee pain, especially any activity that causes you to twist, rotate or pivot your knee. ... Ice. Ice can reduce knee pain and swelling. ... Medication. Over-the-counter pain relievers also can help ease knee pain.
Can you walk around with a torn meniscus?
Unless the torn meniscus has locked the knee, many people with a torn meniscus can walk, stand, sit, and sleep without pain.
What happens if you don't repair a torn meniscus?
An untreated meniscus tear can result in the frayed edge getting caught in the joint, causing pain and swelling. It can also result in long term knee problems such as arthritis and other soft tissue damage.
Does a knee brace help a torn meniscus?
Will a knee brace help a torn meniscus? Yes. Although knee braces do not heal or treat your meniscus tear directly, they can provide extra support and stability for your knee while your meniscus injury heals. A good brace will protect your knee and take the pressure off your meniscus, allowing it to rest.
What are 3 signs of a meniscus tear in the knee?
SymptomsA popping sensation.Swelling or stiffness.Pain, especially when twisting or rotating your knee.Difficulty straightening your knee fully.Feeling as though your knee is locked in place when you try to move it.Feeling of your knee giving way.
Can I make a meniscus tear worse?
If you have a mild ache during the run, or a mildly sore knee after a run then you can often continue running. There is very little risk that running will worsen the tear. Meniscus tears can always worsen… remember, this is a process of degeneration.
What should I avoid with a torn meniscus?
The only way to prevent and avoid a torn meniscus is to avoid activities that cause the knees to twist, bend, or rotate in an extreme fashion. If a person cannot avoid these activities, they should take as much care as possible while participating in them.
Does a torn meniscus hurt all the time?
Do all meniscus tears hurt? Yes, at some point in time most all meniscus tears will hurt. But that doesn't mean they will hurt for a long time. In many cases the pain from a meniscus tear will either improve significantly or go away without surgery.
How do I know if my meniscus tear needs surgery?
If you have a small tear at the outer edge of the meniscus (in what doctors call the red zone ), you may want to try home treatment. These tears often heal with rest. If you have a moderate to large tear at the outer edge of the meniscus (red zone), you may want to think about surgery.
How do I know if my meniscus tear is severe?
Severe. A tear is usually labeled as severe if the meniscus has a big tear. Loose pieces may cause the knee joint to lock or catch. This level of injury may also keep you from bending or straightening your leg and can make walking difficult.
How long can you let a torn meniscus go untreated?
It could be 8 weeks or more before you're back to regular activities. Some meniscal tears, however, won't improve without surgery, so it's important to consult with a specialist who can talk through your options.
What is the most common surgery for a meniscus tear?
Partial Meniscectomy. The most common type of surgery for a meniscus tear is a partial meniscectomy. During this procedure, the surgeon will trim off the torn part of the meniscus, leaving behind as much of the intact meniscus tissue as possible.
What is a meniscus tear?
Meniscus Tear Treatment. The meniscus is a crescent-shaped disc of cartilage found between the bones of the knee ( the femur and tibia). Each knee has two menisci that cushion the joint. Depending on the severity of the tear, symptoms of a torn meniscus may include pain, swelling, stiffness, clicking or locking of the knee.
How long does it take for a meniscus tear to heal?
Because the meniscus tissue needs to heal back together, recovery time is longer for this procedure than a partial meniscectomy. It is common for patients to be on crutches for about two weeks and in a brace for up to six weeks after surgery. It may be six months or more before it is safe to return to sports activities.
Can a meniscus tear cause another knee injury?
We will help you choose the best treatment plan to meet your needs. Having torn your meniscus once could make you more likely to experience another knee injury.
What to do if you have a torn meniscus?
If your injury doesn’t improve with RICE, NSAIDs and physical therapy, your healthcare provider may recommend arthroscopic surgery. Surgery is a very effective way to repair a torn meniscus. If the tear is too big to repair, your surgeon may remove all or part of the meniscus.
How long does it take for a torn meniscus to heal?
Most people who tear a meniscus can return to full activity. If you have surgery to repair a torn meniscus, your knee should be fully recovered after a few months of physical therapy. If you have surgery to remove all or part of your meniscus, you may be at higher risk of developing arthritis down the road.
How to know if you have a meniscus tear?
People who tear a meniscus often feel like something has popped in their knee at the time of the injury. Other symptoms include: Feeling like your knee might give out beneath you. Having knee pain or stiffness or a swollen knee. Being unable to fully bend or straighten your leg.
Why do my knees tear?
As you get older, the cartilage in your knees wears down and gets weaker. This thinner cartilage can tear more easily. Arthritis (a breakdown of cartilage in the joints) can also lead to a meniscus tear.
What is the cartilage in the knee?
Two pieces of cartilage sit inside your knee, between your thighbone (femur) and shinbone (tibia). This cartilage is the meniscus. The rubbery wedges of cartilage act like shock absorbers for your knee, providing cushioning for your bones and knee joint. Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center.
What tests are done to check for swelling in the knee?
Your healthcare provider will physically examine your knee, looking for signs of swelling. They will test your range of motion. You may also get imaging tests, such as X-rays or an MRI, to assess the damage. Your provider may recommend knee arthroscopy to better view and accurately diagnose your injury.
How long should you put ice on your knee?
Rest: Keep your weight off the injured knee as much as possible. Ice: Place an ice pack on your knee for about 20 minutes, several times a day.
How long does it take to heal a meniscus tear?
Recovery time for your knee depends on a number of factors, including how severe your meniscus tear is. Full recovery from surgery may take 4 to 6 weeks, depending on the type of procedure performed as well as other factors. But keep in mind that people also heal at different rates.
How to tell if a meniscus tear is bad?
Symptoms of a meniscus tear include: Pain in the knee. Swelling. A popping sensation during the injury. Difficulty bending and straightening the leg. A tendency for your knee to get "stuck" or lock up. At first, the pain may not be bad. You might even play through the injury.
How to reduce swelling in knees?
Use an elastic bandage or a neoprene type sleeve on your knee to control swelling . Elevate your knee with a pillow under your heel when you're sitting or lying down. Take anti-inflammatory medications. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs ( NSAIDs ), like Advil, Aleve, or Motrin, will help with pain and swelling.
What is the cartilage in the knee?
It's a piece of cartilage in your knee that cushions and stabilizes the joint. It protects the bones from wear and tear. But all it takes is a good twist of the knee to tear the meniscus. In some cases, a piece of the shredded cartilage breaks loose and catches in the knee joint, causing it to lock up.
What sports cause meniscus tears?
Meniscus tears are common in contact sports like football as well as noncontact sports requiring jumping and cutting such as volleyball and soccer. They can happen when a person changes direction suddenly while running, and often occur at the same time as other knee injuries, like an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.
How to fix a knee that is not locking up?
If your knee is not locking up, is stable, and symptoms resolve, nonsurgical treatment may suffice. To speed the recovery, you can: Rest the knee. Limit activities to include walking if the knee painful. Use crutches to help relieve pain. Ice your knee to reduce pain and swelling.
Can you go home after meniscus surgery?
The procedure is usually pretty simple, and you can often go home the same day. You may need a brace afterward for protection if a repair is performed. For 85% to 90% of people who get the surgery for a meniscus tear, the short-term results are good to excellent. But in the long-term, people who have a large meniscal injury ...
What is the best treatment for a meniscus tear?
Surgery. Surgery has the best results when the primary symptoms of the meniscus tear are mechanical. 16 This means that the meniscus tear is causing a catching or locking sensation of the knee. In other words, when the meniscus tear is causing pain only, the results of surgery may not be as reliable. There are three types of surgery used ...
What is the procedure to remove a torn meniscus?
A meniscectomy is a procedure to remove the torn portion of the meniscus. This procedure is far more commonly performed than a meniscus repair. The meniscectomy is done to remove the damaged portion of the meniscus while leaving as much healthy meniscus as possible.
Why does my knee feel like it's giving out?
The medial and lateral menisci act as shock-absorbers and also provide cushioning and stability to the knee, which is why any tear or damage to a meniscus results in pain, swelling , and sometimes, a feeling that the knee is giving out. While knee meniscus tears are common in athletes, older people are also at risk.
What causes a meniscus tear?
Causes. Most commonly, a meniscus tear results from an acute injury to the knee, often from a sudden twist of the knee while squatting during a sports activity. Examples of sports that increase a person's risk for a menisci tear include: Soccer 5 . Football.
How long does it take for a meniscus tear to pop?
In contrast, the swelling of an isolated medial meniscus tear tends to develop gradually over the course of one to two days. 2 An MRI can confirm one or both diagnoses.
Why do meniscus tears occur?
But meniscus tears can also occur due to age-related degenerative (wear-and-tear) changes ( knee osteoarthritis ). 7 As people age, their menisci weaken and become more brittle and prone to damage. Everyday movements like getting up improperly from a chair can be enough to cause a meniscus tear. 3 .
How to diagnose a meniscus tear?
In order to diagnose a meniscus tear, your doctor will perform a medical history, physical examination, and order one or more imaging tests. 1 .
What is a torn meniscus?
Torn meniscus. The meniscus is a C-shaped piece of tough, rubbery cartilage that acts as a shock absorber between your shinbone and thighbone. It can be torn if you suddenly twist your knee while bearing weight on it. A torn meniscus is one of the most common knee injuries.
How to tell if you tore your meniscus?
If you've torn your meniscus, you might have the following signs and symptoms in your knee: 1 A popping sensation 2 Swelling or stiffness 3 Pain, especially when twisting or rotating your knee 4 Difficulty straightening your knee fully 5 Feeling as though your knee is locked in place when you try to move it 6 Feeling of your knee giving way
What happens if you twist your knee?
A torn meniscus causes pain, swelling and stiffness.
What does it mean when your knee is popping?
A popping sensation. Swelling or stiffness. Pain, especially when twisting or rotating your knee. Difficulty straightening your knee fully. Feeling as though your knee is locked in place when you try to move it. Feeling of your knee giving way.
Can a torn meniscus be caused by a squat?
A torn meniscus can result from any activity that causes you to forcefully twist or rotate your knee, such as aggressive pivoting or sudden stops and turns. Even kneeling, deep squatting or lifting something heavy can sometimes lead to a torn meniscus. In older adults, degenerative changes of the knee can contribute to a torn meniscus ...
Can a torn meniscus be a risk?
Performing activities that involve aggressive twisting and pivoting of the knee puts you at risk of a torn meniscus. The risk is particularly high for athletes — especially those who participate in contact sports, such as football, or activities that involve pivoting, such as tennis or basketball.
Can a torn meniscus be treated with physical therapy?
Previously, we would treat a torn meniscus with keyhole surgery. However, recent evidence suggests that most torn meniscus settles with physical therapy. So, how should you treat a torn meniscus?
Can a meniscus tear be a sports injury?
A sudden twist during sports such as football, skiing, or rugby can lead to a meniscal tear. However, some cases have no history of acute injury. As we age, the meniscus becomes weaker and prone to injury.
Can meniscal tears cause knee pain?
Meniscal tears are a common cause of knee pain. Generally, we recommend a trial of therapy followed by injection if needed. Often, we perform injections into the knee joint and around the meniscal tear. Surgery should only be considered in certain subgroups or when conservative management fails.
How do you know if your meniscus is torn?
The only way you will know if your meniscus is torn, or whether the pain is being caused by something else, is to have your knee evaluated by a medical expert. Orthopedic surgeons are experts in diagnosing and treating problems with the bones, joints, and muscles, so this is the type of specialist to see as soon as possible if your knee is ...
What does it feel like to have a torn menisci?
The menisci play a very important function of protecting and stabilizing the joint and for smooth movement. If it is torn, your knee will be less stable and may feel like it’s not moving correctly. Other symptoms might include pain, swelling, popping, or locking.
What is the cartilage in the knee?
Inside the joint, cartilage helps the bones glide smoothly and also acts as a shock absorber when walking or running. The meniscus is actually a separate, thick pad of cartilage between the femur and the tibia, and each knee has two menisci – one on the inside of the knee and one on the outer side.
What is the knee joint?
The knee is a hinge joint. If you imagine a door hinge, you know that it works via two-way movement, just as your knee can extend forward and bend back.
What is the joint that protects the knee?
Inside the knee joint, the bottom of the thighbone (the femur, which is in your upper leg) meets the top of one of the lower leg bones (the tibia), and they work together like a hinge. In the meantime, the kneecap glides along the bottom and front of the femur, protecting the knee and increasing the strength in your leg.
How to keep knees from hurting?
You should try to keep your knee elevated, and ice it carefully.
Can you move your knee without pain?
Patients may have a lot of swelling or none at all. Also, some patients with a meniscus tear can move their knee without pain, while others may have more symptoms when the knee is really flexed. Regardless of your symptoms or the pattern of your injury, some patients may be good candidates for nonsurgical treatment.
How long does it take to repair a meniscus tear?
The most common procedure for a torn meniscus is knee arthroscopy. It usually takes less than an hour. First, you receive anesthesia. The surgical team cleans the skin on your knee and covers the rest of your leg with a surgical drape. The team might place a clamp on your upper thigh to help with positioning during surgery.
How long does it take to heal a torn meniscus?
Meniscus surgery is a common operation to remove or repair a torn meniscus, a piece of cartilage in the knee. The surgery requires a few small incisions and takes about an hour. Recovery and rehabilitation take a few weeks. The procedure can reduce pain, improve mobility and stability, and get you back to life’s activities.
Why do meniscus tears hurt?
Many people with a torn meniscus choose surgery because the injured cartilage can make the knee unstable (buckle and give way), cause pain and swelling or cause the knee to “lock-up” or become “stuck.”.
What is a meniscus in the knee?
What is a meniscus? Each knee has two menisci. They are rubbery, C-shaped cushions that serve as shock absorbers in the knee joint. If your meniscus is injured or torn (often called torn cartilage), your healthcare provider may recommend surgery to remove the damaged part or repair it.
What is the tool used to look at a knee tear?
The surgeon inserts a small tool called an arthroscope into the incision. An arthroscope is a thin tube with a small light and video camera at the end. The camera projects video images from inside your knee onto a monitor. The surgeon uses the arthroscope to look at the tear and decide what surgical technique to perform:
What happens before meniscus surgery?
What happens before torn meniscus surgery? If you and your surgeon decide to move forward with surgery for a torn meniscus, you may have some tests in advance . For example, blood tests, electrocardiogram (EKG) and chest X-ray can help determine whether you are healthy enough for surgery.
What to do after knee surgery?
Your care after surgery may involve: Crutches to take stress off the knee as it heals. Knee brace to stabilize the joint as you recover. Pain medications. Physical therapy. Rehabilitation exercises at home to restore mobility, range of motion and strength. RICE (rest, ice, compression and elevation).