The meniscus | Tears of the meniscus, diagnosis, treatment and preventive measures

Patters of Meniscus Tears

The meniscus|Tears of the meniscus, diagnosis, treatment and preventive measures

• Overview
• Torn meniscus
• Symptoms of a Torn Meniscus
• Diagnosis
• Treatment
• Preventing Meniscus Tear

Overview

The meniscus is formed by two C-shaped large cartilages (Medial and lateral) that are positioned on top of the tibia bone. 

The medial meniscus sits at the inside of the knee and the lateral one is on the outer side. 

The meniscus serves cushion between the though bone (Femur) and the shin bone (tibia)

It prevents the wearing of bones that can happen due to acessive rubbing against each other. 

Degeneration of the meniscus will lead to that bone to bone painful friction. 

This cartilage is also responsible for absorbing shock or pressure that is exerted on the shin bone (Tibia) either from body weight or extra added weight (Training or carrying heavy objects) and makes the knee joint movement smooth and pain-free.  

Torn Meniscus 

Tears of the meniscus usually occur due to an abnormal twist of the leg; i.e. a move that is not within the designed ability of the knee joint, which functions most of the time as a hindge joint.  

An instance of such injury causing move is twisting the femur inward while planting the foot on the ground.  

This bends the knee and drives it inward as when performing the squat with a bad form, or doing other altheltic moves doing the same mistake in movement. 

Symptoms of a Torn Meniscus 

Symptoms may vary from one person to another; however, symptoms of different knee conditions may be similar, which makes it confusing for a common person to tell which is which. 

For this reason, a medical consultation is always required in case any of the following most common symptoms (Or others) are experienced:

• Pain on one side of the knee; inside,  outside or back of the knee. 
• Swelling during the first day of injury 
• flimsy knee, especially if the person is overweight 
• Clicking or popping noise when moving the knee. 
• Tendency of catching or sticking while bending the knee. 
• Difficulty bend taking the knee to its full range of motion, especially not achieving full bent in the joint without experiencing pain. 

Diagnosis

The orthopedist examine the full history of the patient for any previous injuries to the knee as well as the history of how the present injury happened. 

Accurate setails may be quite de, is I've in determining what type of injury is in question. 

Althogh the X-ray doesn't really how ligaments, and by no means a torn meniscus, the orthopedist may order it in order to examine the bones that  at the knew joint for any fractures. 

Most of the time an Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is ordered by the doctor to further see the soft tissue composing the knee joint (Cartilages and tendons)

Treatment

Treatment of a torn meniscus may vary according to how big of a tear it is as well as where it is on the meniscus.

Tears on the outer third of the meniscus can be healed without surgery, especially if the tear is small and no further damage is caused to it. 

This is because the blood can reach that area and nourishes them to replenish and weld the cariligae. 

The other parts of the meniscus, however, have poor blood supply. 

This makes it difficult to heal without surgical solutions, and the possibility of the crack to get bigger is even greater there. 

The initial treatment of torn meniscus is by applying the RICE method:

Rest

Let the knee joint away from performing any move that causes pain or worsen the condition especially as the tear is new. 

Ice

Applyinh ice on a newly torn miniscus helps reduce pain and swelling. 

Ice should be wrapped in a towel (Not applied directly on the skin) and applied for about 20 minutes 3 times a day for 2 or 3 consecutive days. 

Compression

An elastic bandage can be wrapped around the knee to reduce swelling. 

However, the bandage shouldn't be tight as the swelling may be pushed down and pain can be worsen.

Elevation

Elevation of the knees while applying ice or during rest. Placing the knees at the level of the heart or above may help reduce pain and swelling.  

Physical Therapy

After the first days of injury and after the swelling is gone, the physical therapist may prescribe a program. 

The program involves some exercises for strengthening the muscles around the knee (Quadriceps and hamstrings) and increase knee stability. 

Along with physical therapy, some medications and suppliments can supply the damaged meniscus with the requited nutrients and compounds needed for repair such as glucoseamine supoliment 

Surgery

If physical therapy and medications don't seem to be the best solution, surgery is definitely going to work. 

Surgery is done arthoscopically to either repair or remove and replace the damaged miniscus. 

Repair is possible only when the tear is near the meniscal vescular zone, otherwise it would be pointless to repair a part where the blood supply doesn't reach. 

Preventing Meniscus Tear

To prevent any type of knee injuries, particularly mieiscal tears, these few tips should be raked inti consideration:

• Always exercise the muscles around the knee to keep them strong,  and hence take pressure off the knee and provide it with more stabilization.
• Perform sports, especially leg exercises, with proper form; following the normal range of motion of the knee joint, without any extra twists or overloading.
• Apply progressive overload on leg workouts, not an abbrupt increase in weight that challenges the knee joint. 
• Use sports gears like knee wraps and braces during heavy leg days or any athletic activity that envovles overusing the knee joint. 
• Choose the right type of shoes for your activity and do your lace well in order to avoid any unwanted shaking of the foot inside the shoe.
• Always warm up properly and never be in rush to jump right into the actual workout. 
• Never stretch muscles and tendons before exercising them; you want them tight and stable during the exercise not loose and limp. Stretch can be perforned after the workout or on rest days.