The meniscus is a C-shaped cartilage in the knee, between the femur and the leg, which acts as a shock absorber in the knee joint. Each knee has two menisci, inner and outer. Meniscus tear is one of the most common knee injuries, especially in athletes.
Meniscus repair surgery is a minimally invasive surgical procedure that usually takes about an hour and is performed on an outpatient basis. In this method, the torn meniscus is removed or repaired with stitches. Also, post-operative care is very effective in the recovery process, and the patient can continue his daily activities after a few weeks of rest
Causes of meniscus tear
In younger people, a meniscal tear is usually caused by a sudden twisting or turning of the knee joint. This condition often occurs when playing or playing sports, for example in football or basketball. In older people, meniscal tears occur due to wear of the cartilages causing minor injuries to the knee.
Other factors of meniscus tear include the following:
- Excessive weight gain
- Moving heavy objects
- Lifting heavy weights in sports
- Walking on the knees
In all these cases, due to double pressure on the knee, meniscus tear occurs
Meniscus tear symptoms
The following are the signs and symptoms of a meniscus tear:
Knee lock
A meniscus tear causes knee dysfunction. As the knee bends and straightens, the bone is stuck to the torn meniscus and a clicking sound is felt along with the pain. In this case, the person is not able to straighten his knee, and after a few seconds of rest, he straightens his knee by performing stretching movements
Dryness or stiffness of the knee
When the meniscus is damaged, a lot of fluid accumulates around the joint and the knee swells, so called the knee is swollen. Accumulation of water in the joint limits the movement of the knee and causes dryness or stiffness of the knee
knee pain
At the beginning of the meniscus tear, there is pain in the knee, which increases as the tear increases, especially when turning or bending and straightening the knee, this pain may increase
Knee instability
In this case, when standing or walking, the person feels that his knee does not support his weight and he feels trembling in his knee
What happens during meniscus repair surgery?
The most common method for meniscal tear repair is knee arthroscopy. This procedure usually takes less than an hour. First you receive anesthesia, then the surgical team begins the surgery after disinfecting the desired part of the knee and covering the rest of the leg.
The surgeon makes several small incisions in the knee and fills the area around the knee joint with sterile fluid. This fluid helps to control minor bleeding in the joint and washes the surgical site continuously so that the surgeon can see the joint area easily. After that, he places a small instrument called an arthroscope in the incision site. The arthroscope is a narrow tube with a small light and a video camera at the end that takes video images from inside the knee and displays them on a monitor.
With the help of these images, the orthopedic surgeon decides what surgical technique to implement. If the tear is minor, he will remove the torn cartilage and leave the rest in place.But if the tear is deep, he stitches the damaged part.
If you have knee pain that interferes with your life and you want to know if meniscus tear repair can help or not, contact us at Dr. Hossein Haji Taghi’s office
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