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Meniscus Tears
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What is a Meniscus & What Does it do? In your knee there are two menisci and they sit between your Femur and Tibia. They are made of Cartilage and work to distribute the weight of your body on your knees. If the meniscus becomes damaged it could lead to early arthritis of the knee. The two menisci in your legs are the medial (outside of knee) and the lateral(inside of knee). The Meniscus also has a vascular and avascular, and if injured the avascular part cannot receive nutrients because there is no blood flow thus the meniscus cannot regenerate. What Happens When a Meniscus is torn? Their are two common ways the Meniscus can become damaged. One is a traumatic experience (usually seen in athletes) and a degenerative process that mostly occurs in older patients. Though it is still possible that a young person having degenerative menisci because of hereditary reasons. Symptoms of a Meniscus Injury - Knee Pain - Swelling of Knee - Popping or Clicking of Knee - Limited Motion A Meniscus Tear cannot be identified by a x-ray, in order to identify a tear an MRI must be conducted to examine the injured area. Treatment & Rehabilitation Most people who require surgery will do so and receive arthroscopic surgery, which is a less invasive surgery and usually a quicker recovery time. When Surgical treatment is required the most common treatment is to trim the damaged part of the meniscus out, a procedure called meniscectomy. Other Options are meniscal repair and transplantation as a last resort. A plan to create building strength in your knee and legs will help a person prevent future injuries to the Meniscus. Also a big way to limit stress and the potential for arthritis is to keep control of your weight and the amount of pressure that a person puts on there knees. Exercises to help Heal Quad Sets- helps build the muscles on top of you thigh. Strengthening the quad will take some of the load off the knee. Straight Legged Raises- also helps build the quad muscle but strengthens the hip as well. Hamstring Curls- As well as strengthening the hamstring it increases the strength around the knee making it more stable while taking some of the load off the knee. Shallow Standing Knee Bends- helps build strength in the upper Quad. Any low impact exercise including the stationary bike and swimming. These exercises post surgery will help benefit the knee by strengthening the muscles around the injured meniscus. The extra attained strength can supplement the injury and will help prevent a future one. Expectations After Surgery Recovery time depends on many things including surgeons procedures, the size or amount of damage, a patients age, health and many more things. After Surgery expect to rest for a couple of days and normal activities can be resumed usually pretty quickly and once the knees range of motion returns. Though all surgical outcomes are different and can lead to complications, recovery times is unpredictable and depends on the patient. 
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