Meniscus Tear

Description
The meniscus is a C-shaped cartilage structure in the knee that sits on top of the lower leg bone (tibia). Each knee has two menisci, an inner and outer meniscus. The meniscus functions like a shock absorber between the rounded thigh bone (femur) and flat tibia. It also serves to help distribute the forces between the two bones over a greater area (rather than point to point), helps supply nutrition to the cartilage that lines the bones (articular cartilage), and helps stabilize the knee. The meniscus is rubbery tissue that loses its elasticity (rubberyness) with age. Nonetheless, each individual meniscus can be torn. Meniscus tears are very common, occurring in up to one third of all sports injuries. The inner meniscus is injured most often.

Common Signs and Symptoms – Notify a physician if you have any of the following:

Pain, especially with standing on the affected leg and squatting and tenderness along the joint of the knee
Swelling of the affected knee, usually starting 1 to 2 days after the injury (may occur right after the injury)
Locking or catching of the knee joint, causing an inability to straighten the knee completely

Treatment
Initial treatment consists of ice and anti-inflammatory medication to relieve pain and reduce the swelling of the affected joint. Sometimes walking with crutches until you walk without a limp is recommended (you may put full weight on the injured leg). Range-of-motion, stretching, and strengthening exercises may be carried out at home, although referral to a physical therapist or athletic trainer may be recommended. Occasionally your physician may recommend a brace or crutches to protect the joint. Surgery is often recommended as definitive treatment and is performed arthroscopically. Usually the tear is removed partly or completely, although in some instances it is possible to repair the cartilage (less than 20% of the time). After surgery or immobilization, stretching and strengthening of the injured, stiff, and weakened joint and surrounding muscles are necessary.

RICE Principle
With all acute injuries, follow the RICE principle to reduce swelling, pain and inflammation.

Rest- Walk with crutches if you cannot bear weight or it is extremely painful.
Ice- Use an ice pack for 20 minutes every two to three hours during the first 72 hours.
Compression- Use an ace wrap on the knee if you are experiencing swelling. Start at the top of the calf and wrap to mid-thigh.
Elevation- Keep the injured leg above the level of the heart when sitting or lying down.