A common question about this injury is: “Can you still walk with a torn meniscus?” The answer will depend on the severity of the injury and other individual factors, but there is a chance that a meniscus tear may cause pain when walking.
The injury won't heal on its own, which means it may continue getting worse without proper care. For example, a partial tear may continue to worsen until it's a complete tear. Continuing to walk on the affected leg can aggravate your symptoms, making pain and stiffness worse in as little as a few days.
Pain is usually felt in the knee above the meniscus while bearing weight on the affected knee and/or when twisting, turning, or pivoting on the knee, such as while getting in and out of a car. Walking up or down stairs may be particularly painful, and may also cause increased swelling in the knee.
Will Walking on a Torn Meniscus Make It Worse? In cases with acute tears, you may be able to walk around with only slight discomfort or minimal pain. However, if you're noticing increased pain or have a severe tear, you should avoid walking on it until some pain starts to dissipate.
Often, you are still able to walk. Swelling usually increases slowly over a few days and may make the knee feel stiff and limit bending. There is often sharp pain when you twist or squat. Symptoms may go away but can come back from overuse or when you do activities that involve twisting.
Avoid activities that aggravate your knee pain, especially any activity that causes you to twist, rotate or pivot your knee. If your pain is severe, using crutches can take pressure off your knee and promote healing.
Avoid positions and activities that place excessive pressure on knee until pain and swelling resolve. Problematic positions include squatting, pivoting, repetitive bending (eg, climbing stairs, rising from seated position, operating clutch and pedals), jogging, and swimming using the frog or whip kick.
Meniscus (cartilage) Repair patients cannot do twisting, pivoting, squatting, deep knee bends or impact activities for four months.
Not everyone with a meniscus tear will have severe pain. In fact, many of you may have no pain at all if you give your knee a few weeks to rest. If your pain persists despite a few weeks of rest or PT then we may consider repairing your tear. Many more tears are repairable than we previously thought.
You will have a physical examination to find out if you have a torn meniscus and to rule out other knee injuries. Your doctor will check both knees for tenderness, range of motion, and knee stability. X-rays are usually done. Based on your symptoms and the physical examination, your doctor may diagnose a meniscus tear.
Fully extend your leg—there should be no or little bend in your knee.
Although knee braces do not heal or treat your meniscus tear directly, they can provide extra support and stability for your knee while your meniscus injury heals. A good brace will protect your knee and take the pressure off your meniscus, allowing it to rest.
Your doctor may recommend the RICE regimen—rest, ice, compression, and elevation—to treat a meniscus tear. Resting your knee can help relieve your symptoms. Your doctor may suggest using a cane for a few weeks to keep weight off your knee and to stay away from physical activity that may have contributed to the injury.
Meniscus tears are the most frequently treated knee injuries. Recovery will take about 6 to 8 weeks if your meniscus tear is treated conservatively, without surgery.
The patient should avoid pivoting and squatting and should work on keeping the quadriceps muscles strong. If the swelling and pain have not resolved in 6 weeks, they usually won't without surgical intervention.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), like Advil, Aleve, or Motrin, will help with pain and swelling.
Not necessarily. Left untreated, a meniscus tear can limit your daily life and ability to participate in exercise and sports. In serious cases, it can develop into long-term knee problems, like arthritis.
You should not put all of your weight on your leg if it hurts or if your doctor tells you not to. Rest and self-care may be enough to allow the tear to heal. You may need to use crutches. Afterward, you will learn exercises to make the muscles, ligaments, and tendons around your knee stronger and more flexible.
Symptoms of a meniscus tear may be different for each person, but some of the most common symptoms are: Pain in the knee joint: usually on the inside (medial), outside (lateral) or back of the knee. Swelling. Catching or locking of the knee joint.
Those in severe pain and for whom basic treatments don't work may be candidates for meniscus surgery. The best way to ensure that this is the right course to take is by receiving an MRI. A physician may also look at the tear with an arthroscope, a thin tool with a camera and a light at the end.
However, within several days, the knee can get progressively worse, becoming stiff, swollen, and painful. Other signs of a meniscus tear include a feeling of your knee “locking”, giving out, or having limited range of motion.
A torn meniscus' painful symptoms can be debilitating. Typically, a person will experience chronic knee pain, swelling, popping, and difficulty bending or straightening the leg. The stiffness in the knee will significantly limit mobility and make the patient suffering feel like their knee may give out.