Meniscus Tears
When the knee’s shock-absorber is no longer fully functional
The menisci are two crescent-shaped pads of shock-absorbing cartilage in your knee joint. They lie between your thigh bone (femur) and your shin bone (tibia). You have one meniscus on each side of your knee – the medial meniscus on the inside and the lateral meniscus on the outside. Meniscus tears can be caused by chronic overexertion or accidents. The torn meniscus causes pain and the feeling that the knee is catching or locking. In the long term the torn meniscus can also damage the cartilage.
Small tears might heal again. We can support this healing process with conservative therapies.
- Orthoses
- Injections
- Kinesiology taping
- Stability exercises
Surgery
The torn part of the meniscus is usually removed during an arthroscopy. When the patient is young some types of tears can be stitched. The objective is to maintain as much meniscus tissue as possible because it has a very important shock-absorbing function in the knee.