What type of meniscus tear is the worst? Bucket-handle meniscus tears are the most serious type of meniscus injury. They often occur alongside a ligament injury. Bucket-handle tears require prompt surgery in order to have the best possible chance of recovery.
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.
Swelling or stiffness. Pain, especially when twisting or rotating your knee. Difficulty straightening your knee fully. Feeling as though your knee is locked in place when you try to move it.
In severe tears, pieces of the torn meniscus can move into the joint space. This can make your knee catch, pop, or lock. You may not be able to straighten it. Your knee may feel "wobbly" or buckle without warning.
Menisci were graded on a 5-point scale: 1, definitely no tear; 2, probably no tear; 3, indeterminate or equivocal; 4, probably a tear; and 5, definitely a tear. Meniscal signal changes, meniscal surface morphology, and extrameniscal abnormalities were noted.
A medial meniscus tear is more common than a lateral meniscus tear, because it is firmly attached to the deep medial collateral ligament and the joint capsule. In addition, the medial meniscus absorbs up to 50% of the shock of the medial compartment, making the medial meniscus susceptible to injury.
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. The pain may come and go over a period of years if the tear isn't treated. Larger tears usually cause more pain and immediate swelling and stiffness.
Continuing to walk on the affected leg can aggravate your symptoms, making pain and stiffness worse in as little as a few days. Plus, suffering a torn meniscus may also increase your risk of complications, like developing osteoarthritis in that knee.
Medial meniscal root tears are associated with poor subjective knee function (24), and a relatively high proportion of these patients (31 %) require a knee replacement within five years (35), emphasising that medial root tears are part of a general degenerative process.
Meniscus repair is optimally performed within the first two months after meniscus tear to maximize meniscus healing. Walking on a knee that is 'locked' (does not fully straighten) may damage the meniscus further and make a tear unrepairable.
Meniscus recovery timelines for grade 3 tears and other surgical repairs can be as long as four months.
Recovery will take about 6 to 8 weeks if your meniscus tear is treated conservatively, without surgery. If your symptoms persist after 3 months or your symptoms become significant, your doctor may recommend surgery to repair the tear.
Intrasubstance/Incomplete Tear
Incomplete and intrasubstance meniscus tears are considered "stable" injuries. That means they generally do not require surgical treatment.
Some people need surgery for a torn meniscus, but some don't. The decision depends on: Type, size and location of the tear.
Small tears often heal on their own, while others may require arthroscopic surgery. Most people fully recover from a torn meniscus and can get back to doing their favorite activities without knee pain.
How soon you can return to work depends on your job. If you sit at work, you may be able to go back in 1 to 2 weeks. But if you are on your feet at work, it may take 4 to 6 weeks. If you are very physically active in your job, it may take 3 to 6 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.
Most meniscal tears improve with time and physiotherapy. Physiotherapy will include load modification e.g. reducing your running and walking and reduction or avoidance of the movements and activities that make your pain or swelling worse. This advice will also be accompanied with a comprehensive exercise programme.
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.
In a moderate tear, the pain is typically felt on the side or the center of the knee and may come and go on its own for years if the tear is not properly treated. After a severe tear, pieces of the torn disc interfere with joint function, causing the knee to catch, pop, lock, or be difficult to straighten.
A meniscus tear is a debilitating knee injury. The meniscus is an integral piece of cartilage that cushions and stabilizes the knee joint between the femur (thighbone) and tibia (shinbone).
Many ACL tears we see only have problems ascending stairs, jogging, or walking downhill but can walk up hills and on flat roads without an increase in pain. A meniscus tear, on the other hand, will cause fairly severe pain even just standing on it.