Everything You Need to Know About Meniscus Tear

The general structure of the knee has many parts which help in the movement. These include the ligaments, tendons, soft tissues, and meniscus. There are injuries that a knee may experience, especially after a sudden movement. One of them is the meniscus tear which is common in sports and after auto accidents. In West Chester, OH, there are meniscus tear specialists who can offer a remedy. What you’ll find is that the treatment may involve conservative orthopedic surgery procedures. Consider looking for a competent meniscus tear in West Chester. Understanding different aspects of a meniscus tear is something important.

Understanding Meniscus and Meniscus Tear

A meniscus is a vital part of the knee that absorbs shock between the shin bones and thing bones. In each knee, there are two menisci. They come in the form of rubbery fibrocartilage hence are more resilient to daily movements such as walking and standing.

The meniscus tear typically happens whenever there is a sudden quick movement. It damages the menisci within the knee, and this commonly happens in sports activities. However, besides the acute meniscus tears, there are degenerative ones that mainly occur as we age.

Which are the Signs of a Meniscus Tear?

It’s common to realize there is a problem within the knee as soon as the tear happens. Some people notice a pop that still enables them to walk. However, as days pass, the symptoms become more persistent and increase with time. Some signs include swelling, pain, stiffness, instability, low mobility, and knee locking. Your specialist can tell the proper treatment for you depending on the nature of the tear. However, this is after they do an MRI (Magnetic resonance imaging). Through the physical examination, they effortlessly do the viewing and assessment of the tear.

Treatment Options

After the examination shows the extent of the damage, the doctor will have options at the table to pick. They always prefer starting with non-invasive treatments. The conservative approach is always a good starting point since it offers promising results though it may take longer. This is where the specialist puts you in physical therapy to exercise the knee to help you recover.

Many tend to think a sedentary temporal life is the best during the healing process. The specialists believe otherwise since they show that being active in a moderate way helps in recovery. However, they guide you well on the exercises to engage in the physical therapy sessions to not overdo it.

Other worthy options include heat and ice therapies as well as steroid injections. If such treatments fail, your specialist will recommend a better procedure which is orthopedic surgery. A competent expert may consider making small incisions so that the scarring and bleeding can be minimal. It then means less downtime. The procedures usually involve using small surgical tools to remove the damaged meniscus tissue and sutures to repair the tears.

The menisci in the knees play a pivotal role in absorbing shock. They sometimes experience some tears, especially after a sudden movement. There is also a degenerative meniscus tear that arises as we get older. There are meniscus tear specialists who can offer both conserving and surgical procedures in dealing with the problem.