Like a lot of knee injuries, a meniscus tear
can be painful and debilitating. Unfortunately, it's quite common. In
fact, a meniscal tear is one of the most frequently occurring cartilage
injuries of the knee.
So what is the meniscus? 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.
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. Meniscus tears are a special risk for
older athletes since the meniscus weakens with age. More than 40% of
people 65 or older have them.
What Does a Meniscus Tear Feel Like?
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.
But once the inflammation sets in, your knee will probably hurt quite a
bit.
To diagnose a meniscus tear, your doctor will give you a
thorough exam. They will want to hear details about how you got your
injury. X-rays may be necessary, to rule out broken bones and other
problems. You may also need an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scan,
which allows a more detailed evaluation of knee cartilage.
What's the Treatment for a Meniscus Tear?
Treatment
for meniscal tears depends on the size and location of the tear. Other
factors which influence treatment include age, activity level and
related injuries. The outer portion of the meniscus, often referred to
as the “red zone,” has a good blood
supply and can sometimes heal on its own if the tear is small. In
contrast, the inner two thirds of the meniscus, known as the “white
zone,” does not have a good blood supply. Tears in this region will not heal on their own as this area lacks blood vessels to bring in healing nutrients.
Happily,
not all meniscal tears require surgery. 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 is painful. Use crutches to help relieve pain.
- Ice your knee to reduce pain and swelling. Do it for 15-20 minutes every 3-4 hours for 2-3 days or until the pain and swelling is gone.
- Compress your knee. 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. However, these drugs can have side
effects, such as an increased risk of bleeding and ulcers. They should
be only used occasionally, unless your doctor specifically says
otherwise.
- Use stretching and strengthening exercises to help reduce stress to your knee. Ask your doctor to recommend a physical therapist for guidance.
- Avoid impact activities such as running and jumping.
These
conservative treatments, however, aren't always enough. If a tear is
large, unstable, or causing locking symptoms surgery may be required to
either repair or remove unstable edges. 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 that is unrepairable may be at a higher risk of
developing knee arthritis.
When Will My Knee Feel Better?
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. In
most cases physical therapy is used after surgery to minimize
complications and speed recovery.
If
your medical team agrees, you could take up a new activity that won't
aggravate your knee pain while you recover. For instance, runners could
try swimming.
Whatever you do, don't rush things. Don't try to return to your old level of physical activity until:
- You can fully bend and straighten your knee without pain.
- You feel no pain in your knee when you walk, jog, sprint, or jump.
- Your knee is no longer swollen.
- Your injured knee is as strong as your uninjured knee.
If you start using your knee before it's healed, you could cause further injury.
How Can I Prevent a Meniscus Tear?
Meniscus
tears are tough to prevent since they're usually the result of an
accident. But some precautions might lower the risks of a knee injury.
You should:
- Keep your thigh muscles strong with regular exercises.
- Warm up with light activities before taking part
- Give your body time to rest between workouts. Fatigued muscles can increase your risk of injury.
- Make sure your shoes have enough support and fit correctly.
- Maintain flexibility.
- Never abruptly increase the intensity of your workout. Make changes slowly.