Meniscus Tear Treatment

A crescent-shaped fibrocartilaginous anatomical structure that, in contrast to an articular disk, partly divides a joint cavity is known as meniscus. Generally, in humans they are present in the knee, wrist, acromioclavicular, sternoclavicular, and temporomandibular joints and in the case of animals, they may be presented in other joints. Basically, the term ‘meniscus’ is used to refer to the cartilage of the knee, either to the lateral  meniscus or the medial meniscus. Both the types of meniscus are cartilaginous tissues that provides structural integrity to the knee when it undergoes tension and torsion. The menisci are also commonly known as “semi-lunar” cartilages, referring to their half-moon or crescent shape.

Symptoms of a meniscus tear

Generally, when a meniscus tear occurs, you will hear a popping sound around your knee joint. Suddenly, after this you may feel some of the symptoms which may include as under:

• Severe pain especially when the area is being touched
• Some sort of swelling
• You will face difficulty in moving your knee or inability to move it in afull range of motion
• You will get vibes or a feeling that your knee is locking or catching
• You will also feel that your knee is giving way or is unable to support you
• When you experience a slipping or poppingsensation, this usually gives you an indication that a piece of cartilage has loosen up and is basically blocking the knee joint. So, when you feel these types of symptoms, do contact a doctor in case they persists for a longer period of time and in case of knee locking, immediately contact the doctor.

Causes of a meniscus tear

During some sort of activities, the meniscus can be torn that may cause a direct contact or pressure built from a forced twist or rotation. A sudden pivot or turn, deep squatting, or heavy lifting may leads to injury. Some of these sports that are a cause to meniscus tear generally includes of:

• football
• basketball
• soccer
• tennis

With the age, the meniscus gets weaken up and the tears are more common in people over the age of 30. Some of the movements including squatting or stepping may lead to injury in someone with the weak menisci.

Risks of meniscus

If you suffer with osteoarthritis, then most probably you are at a higher risk of injuring your knee or tearing your meniscus. Osteoarthritis is basically a common joint disorder that is involved in producing pain and stiffness in your joints which is generally caused by aging and wear and tear.

Rehabilitation of meniscus tear

A rehabilitation program that helps in regaining much strength and flexibility in your knee as possible will include physical therapy and some home exercises which will help you in advance healing of knee and also helps you in returning to the daily activities. Some of the exercises that are suggested to be done are listed below:

• Quad sets
• Straight-leg raise to the front
• Straight-leg raise to the back
• Hamstring curls
• Heel raises
• Heel dig bridging
• Shallow standing knee bends