In serious cases, it can develop into long-term knee problems, like arthritis. In addition moving around with a torn meniscus could pull fragments of the cartilage into the joint causing larger knee issues which could requiring more significant surgery in the future.
Most people who tear a meniscus can return to full activity. If you have surgery to repair a torn meniscus, your knee should be fully recovered after a few months of physical therapy. If you have surgery to remove all or part of your meniscus, you may be at higher risk of developing arthritis down the road.
A torn meniscus is certainly not life threatening. Once treated, the knee will usually function normally for many years. A meniscal tear that catches, locks the knee, or produces swelling on a frequent or chronic basis should be removed or repaired before it damages the articular (gliding) cartilage in the knee.
In general, with proper treatment and rehabilitation, people who experience meniscus tears, especially older patients, are often able to go back to their normal activities. Still, meniscus tears may increase the risk of developing osteoarthritis, and if left untreated, they can worsen over time.
So unfortunately, having a meniscal tear which requires surgery may raise your risk of getting arthritis later in life. It has also been shown that a knee that has undergone meniscus surgery has weaker thigh muscles and poorer quality of cartilage 4 years after the surgery [3].
Replacing your meniscus may provide significant pain relief. It may also help prevent arthritis in your joint. This can develop when your cartilage becomes frayed and rough. This surgery is less invasive than knee replacement surgery.
How long after meniscus surgery will I be able to walk, exercise and work? Most people can walk with crutches soon after meniscus surgery. Many return to normal activities within six to eight weeks.
You may need surgery to restore full knee function. Untreated meniscus tears can increase in size and lead to complications, such as arthritis.
The athlete with a meniscal tear is often treated with meniscectomy or meniscal repair, depending on the size and location of the tear. Potential sequelae of meniscal injuries include the loss of in-season competition days and diminished career longevity.
While a meniscus tear can seem like a minor injury with only a little pain because you can still walk, but left untreated it can interfere with your ability to exercise and play sports; and can cause meniscus cartilage fragments in the joint which can lead to the knee locking and catching.
Is Walking Good for a Torn Meniscus? Walking can be useful to improve your weight-bearing tolerance and loosen up the knee. Meniscus injuries are often worsened by pivoting or twisting or bending motions. Walking can help with meniscus tear rehab.
A tear is usually labeled as severe if the meniscus has a big tear. Loose pieces may cause the knee joint to lock or catch. This level of injury may also keep you from bending or straightening your leg and can make walking difficult. Severe tears usually require surgery to repair.
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.
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.
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.
A torn meniscus is not he type of injury that, by itself, is a significant enough impairment to qualify one for Social Security benefits. However, it may justify an award of benefits if the tear is in addition to other significant impairments, which, in combination, leave the claimant unable to perform full time work.
Because it is ideal to keep and preserve the entire meniscus, a meniscus tear repair is preferable when possible. For children, teens, and patients in their early twenties, the meniscus may have enough blood supply to heal.
Meniscus tears, indicated by MRI, are classified in three grades. Grades 1 and 2 are not considered serious. They may not even be apparent with an arthroscopic examination. Grade 3 is a true meniscus tear and an arthroscope is close to 100 percent accurate in diagnosing this tear.
Complicated arthroscopic repair of a meniscus tear requires that the patient's knee be completely immobilized for 2 weeks after surgery. Followed by 2 weeks of limited motion before resuming daily activities.
Arthroscopic meniscus repair is moderately painful. Because more soft tissue surgery is performed, it is more painful than a standard arthroscopy, but less painful than a ligament reconstruction or another procedure that requires drilling holes through the bone.
Stem-Cell Therapy
Researchers have been developing stem-cell therapies that may help heal the injured tissue. During treatment, stem cells from your own body or some other source are injected into the injured knee area, where they grow, differentiate and assist with the healing of the meniscus.
If the meniscus has been removed, even if a small piece has been removed, then the stress on the articular cartilage increase 3-fold. That can cause osteoarthritis, which may go on to require a knee replacement. What is this? Your risk of developing osteoarthritis increases when a meniscus tear occurs.