Meniscus tear

Knee joints are often subject to high pressure and injuries. One of the most unpleasant injuries, which occurs quite often, is a meniscus tear.

Menisci are special cushioning pads made of cartilaginous tissue in the knee joints. Most often, only one joint is affected. There are situations when the menisci are torn in both knee joints, but this happens extremely rarely.

Statistics from physical education and sports institutes show that meniscus ruptures are more common in men than in women, age criteria are from 18 to 45 years. In adolescents, such injuries are rare, due to the plasticity of all joints. Elderly people are characterized by injuries of a different kind, in which problems with meniscus are replaced by age-related changes in all joints completely.

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What causes a meniscus tear?

In many ways, this injury is associated with heavy loads on the lower limbs, so those at risk are mainly athletes and people engaged in heavy physical labor.

A sharp dislocation of the leg at the knee joint in any direction, most often to the side, leads to a meniscus rupture. During unsuccessful jumps, the leg can turn in the opposite direction of bending, in other words forward, while the joint goes as if to a fracture.

At this point, the entire load falls on the menisci and special joint ligaments (anterior and posterior cruciate, medial collateral). Here, as they say, there are two possible scenarios. Either a stretch, more often a ligament rupture, or a meniscus rupture.

A sharp squat or direct trauma to the knee joint can lead to a meniscus tear; in this case, the meniscus tear will be part of several or combined injuries.

Problems with menisci can be caused by age-related changes in the knee joint or previous illnesses, which include gout, rheumatism and a number of infectious diseases that cause complications in the form of joint damage.

Meniscus tear in different variations

A rupture, just like a fracture, can have varying degrees of complexity:

• Full.
• Incomplete.
• Longitudinal.
• Transverse.
• Patchwork.
• Shattered.

The rupture may be accompanied by displacement and/or damage to the articular ligament apparatus. Such injuries are called combined.

Symptoms of a Meniscus Tear

The clinical picture can be presented in three forms: acute, subacute and chronic. The most difficult in terms of diagnosis, oddly enough, is the acute form. A meniscus rupture causes symptoms similar to those of many infectious and inflammatory diseases of the knee joint:

• limitation of movement in the joint, especially in the direction of extension;
• acute pain on palpation;
• increase in joint volume;
• external redness of the skin on the knee;
• local increase in temperature, often with an increase in general body temperature to 38 degrees;
• the presence of fluid (effusion) in the joint capsule;
• presence of blood in the synovial fluid.

If you do not take any measures to relieve the main symptoms, limit yourself to self-treatment methods and means, then the acute symptoms will subside on their own within 2-3 weeks. After which a subacute phase will begin, smoothly turning into a chronic one.

In the subacute form of the disease, the true symptoms indicating a meniscus rupture come to the fore:

• infiltration in the joint capsule in the area of the joint space;
• complete immobilization (blockade) of the joint;
• persistent presence of effusion (fluid);
• positive reaction of pain tests. In professional medical language, these tests are named after the scientists who discovered them, for example, the Sheimon-Bragard test. The total number of all possible tests is large. For a simple introduction, it is enough to say that the presence of specific symptoms of the joint extension test, compression, rotation and a positive mediolateral test are characteristic.

Perhaps the most obvious symptom indicating problems with the meniscus is the deformation of the knee joint itself. It takes on an unusual position, which is called the "watering can handle."

How to recognize a meniscus tear?

Before making a diagnosis, information is collected about all the events that preceded the injury - anamnesis is collected. Pain tests are performed, the sliding and movement of the meniscus, the presence of a characteristic click at the moment of passive movement are checked. In addition to informative data collection and reliance on symptoms, instrumental diagnostics are performed.

The most popular methods are:

• arthrography (simple and contrast);
• arthroscopy;
• thermopolarography;
• ultrasound scanning.

How to treat a meniscus tear?

Treatment of such an injury does not require special surgical intervention as long as the situation can be corrected by conservative treatment methods. These are:

• puncture;
• removal of blockade;
• application of a splint for 14 days to straighten the joint and make it immobile;
• reduction of swelling (prescribing decongestants and physiotherapy);
• desensitization (removal of increased sensitivity).

Surgical intervention is mandatory in cases of relapse and repeated injuries of a similar nature.

Rehabilitation period

Depending on the severity of the injury, the joint recovery period can take from 14 days to 2 months. Throughout the rehabilitation, you will have to put up with the need to move around with crutches. This is the only way to provide the knee joint with the necessary peace and minimal load when walking.

Returning to normal activity and usual walking pace occurs in a measured and gradual manner.

How to prevent meniscus tear?

It is impossible to foresee all situations when an injury may occur. However, you should be extremely careful, avoid sudden movements, jumps from great heights. Physical activity should be used moderately.

If your daily activities involve working on your feet, walking and standing a lot, you definitely need to do physical exercises to give your joints and muscles a chance to rest.

Seek help from diagnostic specialists in a timely manner in order to make a correct diagnosis in a timely manner and begin treatment as quickly as possible if there is a suspicion of a meniscus tear.