A meniscal tear is a tear through the substance of the meniscus, the shock absorber of the knee.
An illustration of a longitudinal tear or circumferential tear of the meniscus.
This may be a blow on the side of the knee, or a non-contact injury like twisting the body while the foot is on the ground, such as kicking a ball.
"Not all meniscal tears are correctly attributable to an acute injury: degenerated meniscal cartilage may fail under simple load conditions. By contrast, resilient meniscal tissue will tear only with substantial trauma."
Most tests or meniscal tears involve trying to elicit a painful click in the joint. Here you see a surgeon performing the McMurray test.
"...physical examination is a useful and important diagnostic technique and is as reliable as MRI to diagnose meniscal tears. We recommend the use of MRI for more doubtful, difficult and complex knee injuries."
The surgeon may use his discretion as to whether the damaged part should be removed (meniscectomy) or repaired (meniscal repair), but this will usually depend upon the location of the tear and the nature of the tear.
To preserve the meniscal functions, meniscal repair should be considered as the first option for meniscus injury. Although reoperation rates are higher after meniscal repair compared with arthroscopic partial meniscectomy, long-term follow-up of meniscal repair demonstrated better clinical outcomes and less severe degenerative changes of osteoarthritis compared with partial meniscectomy.
A-Z Keywords - Apley's test, McMurray Test, Thessaly test, Radial tear, Longitudinal tear, Bucket-handle tear, Horizontal cleavage tear, Parrot-beak tear, Flap tear, Ramp lesion, Meniscectomy, Partial meniscectomy, Meniscal repair, Meniscal repair augmentation, Meniscal replacement
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