Meniscal Injuries

The menisci are shock absorbing fibrocartilage discs. There are two in the knee, one for the medial and one for the lateral joint. They have limited nerve and blood supply which allow them to absorb your body weight and impact while not causing pain in their healthy state.

Meniscal injuries are manifested by pain, usually localised to the area responsible, and mechanical symptoms such as uncomfortable clicking and catching. Certain meniscal injury patterns can lead to a locked knee, where there is an inability to bend or straighten the knee.

Owing to their poor blood supply, they have little to no capacity to heal themselves after injury. For this reason, symptomatic traumatic meniscal tears are typically managed with surgery. The primary goal is meniscal repair to preserve the shock-absorbing ability of the knee to prevent eventual osteoarthritis, although there are instances where alternative treatment is indicated, such as removing the torn aspect.

Meniscal injuries come in many different patterns and sizes. These include bucket-handle tears (usually of the medial meniscus), and various shaped patterns. The root of the meniscus, attaching it to the bone, can also be torn.

There is rarely any surgical indication in degenerative meniscal problems, such as those seen in the arthritic process, although there may be select indication for, as an example, medial meniscus posterior root tears with minimal trauma in an otherwise healthy knee.