Meniscus Tear

A meniscus tear is a common sports injury, which, thanks to advances in medical technology, is now treated arthroscopically, not with total or partial removal but with suturing and rescuing the meniscus – where possible – protecting patients against future complications, such as osteoarthritis.

Meniscus could be likened to… suspensions, as they absorb the shocks that the knee joint receives. In addition, they act as joint stabilizers while distributing the body loads, smoothly and evenly, over the entire surface of the knee.

On each knee, there are the inner and outer meniscus, which are crescent-shaped and quite elastic.

Meniscus rupture can occur in young people due to injury, but also in older patients due to degeneration and loss of elasticity.

Traumatic meniscus rupture in young people is the most common and occurs when the foot gets stuck to the ground and the body twists, usually during a sports activity.

Patients with a torn meniscus usually complain of pain when walking, especially when changing direction, pain after a deep sitting, and swelling of the knee due to the presence of fluid in the joint.

In some cases, it is possible that the knee blocks and any movement to bend or stretch the joint is impossible, which requires immediate treatment.

In addition to taking a history and clinical examination, imaging and, in particular, MRI are required to determine a meniscus rupture.

Traumatic meniscus tears are treated arthroscopically. Knee arthroscopy is performed through only two skin incisions, about one centimeter long each.

The surgeon places a special camera (the arthroscope) in the first hole, with which he is able to “see” what is happening inside the joint, while in the second hole, he places special microscopic tiny tools that help repair the rupture.

The purpose of arthroscopy is to remove only the damaged part of the meniscus and to normalize the rest of the surface that remains stable, in the knee joint.

How can the meniscus be saved?

There are cases of patients, mainly young people, with recent ruptures located in the periphery of the meniscus (the zone where there is a possibility of healing of the meniscus due to increased vascularization and perfusion) and in which the organ can be saved. Then, it is recommended to suture and rescue the meniscus using the same arthroscopic method.

This is because the presence and function of the meniscus are of great importance for the knee, as they delay the onset of arthritis, while even the arthroscopic partial removal of the meniscus (meniscectomy) can have degenerative effects over time.