What is a meniscus?

The meniscus is a rubbery, C-shaped disc that helps to cushion each of your knees. Each of your knees has 2 menisci (the plural form of meniscus) - one at the outer (lateral) edge and one at the inner (medial) edge. These menisci help to distribute your body weight across your knee joint. Each meniscus is critical to the health of your knee because if you did not have them you would apply uneven pressure between your bones, and this could lead to arthritis.

What Does it mean when your meniscus tears?

Traumatic injury and degenerative processes are the two most common causes of a meniscus tear. People can physically injure the meniscus when the knee joint is bent and twisted. It is not uncommon for the meniscus tear to be accompanied by other knee injuries as well. Additional knee injuries to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) [ACL Injuries] and the medial collateral ligament (MCL)[MCL Injuries]. Together these three injuries are referred to as the "unhappy triad", which is seen in sports, such as football, when a person's suffers a blow to the outside of their knee.

What are the symptoms of a meniscus tear?

Pain and swelling are usually identified by people to be the primary symptoms of a meniscus tear. People will often complain of "joint locking", which is the inability to completely straighten the knee joint. This is usually due to a small piece of the torn meniscus that physically impinges the joint mechanism of the knee from going through a full range of motion.

The most common symptoms of a meniscus tear are:

  • Pain in the knee joint
  • Swelling of the knee
  • Tenderness when pressing on the torn meniscus
  • Popping or clicking within the knee joint
  • Limited motion of the knee joint (possible joint locking).

 

Are all tears of your meniscus equal?

There are three main types of meniscus tears. Each is unique, while still being considered a meniscus tear. You will find that each "grade" of tear gets more severe.

  • Minor tear:You may have slight pain and swelling. Typically, this goes away in about 2 or 3 weeks.
  • Moderate tear:This kind of meniscus tear can cause pain at the center of your knee. After 2 to 3 days, the swelling actually gets worse, slowly. While walking is usually possible, you may feel like your knee gets stiff and it is hard to bend the knee joint. Moreover, you may feel a sharp pain when you twist your knee, or squat. These symptoms can go away in approximately 1-2 weeks, but can easily come back if you twist or overuse your knee again. If left untreated, this knee pain can go on for years.
  • Severe tear:In this case, pieces of the torn meniscus can move into the knee joint space. This can make your knee feel like it locks, or catches. Some people speak of a pop, or popping sound in a severe meniscus tear. You may feel unstable and feel like your knee may give way without warning.

A knee brace can give you stability back, and help to reduce your knee pain when you suffer from these kinds of injuries. (It is also important to communicate with your physician if believe you have injured your knee.)