Meniscus Tear Surgery – Procedure, Rehabilitation & Common Conditions

Injuries are awful. We can all agree on this. Knee injuries are excruciating as they affect your overall mobility. Our knees can handle a certain amount of force. But just about anything higher than that can result in a tear. One of the most common knee injuries is a torn meniscus, a cartilage piece in the knee.

Read this blog to learn about meniscus tear and its surgery, and have complete information on meniscus tear surgery, its procedure, rehabilitation, and common conditions.

What is the Meniscus?

First, let’s see what a meniscus is. The meniscus is a crescent-shaped (C-shaped) piece of cartilage in the knee joint that serves to cushion and stabilizes the joint. The menisci are composed of strong, fibrous connective tissue. They have a rigid outer portion and a soft inner portion.

Each knee has two menisci, one on the inner (medial) and one on the outer (lateral) side. The medial meniscus is usually injured more often than the lateral one because it has more mobility, allowing it to perform more shock absorption functions. The meniscus is located in between your tibia and femur or the thigh bone and the shin bone.

Causes of a Meniscus Tear

A meniscus tear occurs when the cushion has been torn or is badly worn down or loose. It can be caused by twisting or turning your knee violently with a sudden stop and by repetitive activities resulting in degenerative tears.
In addition, some people are born with very small or unusually shaped menisci, which may also contribute to their occurrence.

A variety of conditions can cause a meniscus tear, including:

• Acute injury: Twisting the knee violently can tear the meniscus. This is a common mechanism of injury for athletes that play contact sports.
• Chronic degeneration: With age, repetitive movements and wear and tear may weaken the cartilage in your knee, making it more likely to tear.

The most common activities that can lead to meniscus tears are:

• twisting while the foot remains still (for example, during sports)
• landing on an extended knee after a jump
• squatting while bending the knee
• sudden stops and changes in direction, and more

Meniscal tears are common in athletes due to trauma but can also be found in non-athletes.

Symptoms and Diagnosis of Meniscus Tear

You can start feeling the effects of a torn meniscus explicitly. Typical symptoms include pain in your knee joint during activity, swelling, clicking, and locking of your knee joint when you move it up and down. Moreover, you may experience stiffness around your knee area. The knee may also give way and feel unstable if a large portion of the meniscus has been torn away or damaged.

If you suspect you may have torn a meniscus, see an orthopedic surgeon for evaluation with x-rays followed by an MRI scan if warranted to confirm the diagnosis. Treatment options differ based on the type of tear and several other factors. Still, they may include rest, ice/heat therapy, anti-inflammatory medications, and physical therapy. Arthroscopic surgery sometimes becomes necessary if other treatments fail to help relieve symptoms.

Meniscus Tear Surgery

While some people with a torn meniscus may be able to heal without surgery, others require an arthroscopic surgical procedure to remove the torn piece of cartilage or repair it back into place.

Meniscus tear surgery is a widely prevalent procedure to repair the cartilage in your knee. It is a routine knee surgery done to alleviate pain. Meniscus tear surgery is performed on the two small pieces of cartilage (called menisci) that cushion the upper shinbone (tibia) in your knee. When these pieces of cartilage are torn, they can cause pain, swelling, and decreased knee function.

The surgery includes arthroscopic procedures wherein the damaged meniscus of the knee joint is removed by making a few incisions in the knee.

The Procedure for Arthroscopic Meniscus Tear Surgery

Before the meniscus surgery, your surgeon will ensure you are ready for surgery. They will do a physical exam and check for any medical conditions that might make the operation more dangerous. Arthroscopic knee surgery is less invasive than open meniscus tear surgery, which means you will have less pain and swelling after the procedure, and you’ll recover faster.

The surgeon performs the procedure under general anesthesia, which means you will be asleep during the surgery. During the surgical process, the surgeon makes several small incisions around the knee and inserts a camera called an arthroscope and surgical instruments through these incisions. The camera displays pictures on a video monitor, giving your surgeon a close-up view of your knee. When there are problems in the joints, such as cartilage tears or loose fragments, the surgeon can use tiny surgical instruments to fix them without making large, open incisions.

Afterwards, the surgeon will clean out any remaining debris within your knee. This can be powder from bone or cartilage fragments. You may get a local anesthetic so you won’t feel pain after the surgery. You may also have a brace or cast on your knee to protect it during recovery.

Arthroscopic meniscus repair is performed when the tear is large or located in a high-motion meniscus area. Arthroscopy allows visualisation of both compartments at once, which can help decide which procedures to perform on each side. If you have significant arthritis, you might have a more difficult recovery from meniscus tear surgery than someone who does not have arthritis. The surgery must be done by a skilled, experienced surgeon using the latest techniques to repair your meniscus rather than remove it.

Rehabilitation after Meniscus Tear Surgery

The rehab process after the arthroscopic knee surgery starts right away. It’s important to begin physical therapy immediately to reduce pain and swelling while restoring proper knee function.

The goal is to return to maximum activity. Most people make a good recovery with no long-term problems after meniscus tear surgery, but it varies from person to person. The ultimate goal of rehabilitation is for you to return to your normal activities, including sports and exercise.

Some people can return within two to six months, depending on their type of work or sport, but others may take longer. How long it takes often depends on what kind of work or sport you do, especially if you’re an athlete who requires a lot of strength in your leg muscles (quadriceps) or has a job requiring more standing.

For example, an office worker could expect a full recovery within six months, while an elite football player could take up to nine months before running again at full speed without limping or having pain in their knee.

Rehabilitation is more than just physical therapy exercises—it’s an active process that includes educating yourself about the injury so you know how best to care for yourself during this time. This includes:

• getting regular exercise as directed by your doctor and/or physical therapist
• Practicing strengthening techniques such as squats or lunges at home
• reducing swelling through wrapping ice around the knee several times per day for 10 minutes each session
• elevating feet above heart level when sitting down
• Wearing compression socks during bedtime hours only

Common Conditions Linked with Meniscus Tear Surgery

There are numerous common conditions associated with torn meniscus surgery. These include:

• Arthritis — Arthritis is a common condition that may affect the knee joint. It causes inflammation and swelling of the joint, which can cause pain and stiffness.
• Osteoarthritis — Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease in the joints that results in the deterioration of the cartilage. This causes pain, stiffness, and swelling around the painful joint.
• Rheumatoid arthritis — Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that, like osteoarthritis, causes pain, inflammation, and swelling in the joints.
• Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome — Patellofemoral pain syndrome is a condition where pain develops around the kneecap (patella). The syndrome is characterized by knee pain when walking up or downstairs, squatting, or sitting with the knees bent for long periods of time.
• Tendonitis — Tendonitis refers to inflammation of a tendon, which connects muscle to bone. Inflammation can cause pain and swelling. In addition to affecting the meniscus, meniscus tear surgery may also be required for some tendonitis.

Arthroscopic Knee Surgery at Amandeep Hospital

Whether you have just experienced a tear in your meniscus or suspect the same, it is essential to know what options are available to you. Amandeep Group of Hospitals boasts state-of-the-art amenities for diagnosing and treating knee injuries. In addition, our arthroscopic knee surgery facilities and top surgeons make sure you say goodbye to knee pains and woes.

You can rely on our best-in-the-region healthcare, whether it’s a meniscus tear, baker’s cyst removal, knee bone fractures, out-positioned patella, or swollen synovium. So, if you are experiencing any knee-related troubles, get in touch by booking an appointment today!