I have a meniscus tear (torn knee cartilage). Can anyone tell me what the surger!
Question: I am getting x-rays today, but I think the tear is minor.
Answers: I am getting x-rays today, but I think the tear is minor.
treatments available for a meniscus tear (torn cartilage)
Any knee injury can initially be treated acutely with rest, ice packs, and immobilization. These will help to decrease swelling and pain in your joint if you have any.
X-rays are usually normal with an isolated meniscus tear, the MRI evaluation will often reveal abnormalities within the meniscus.
If surgery is needed for meniscus tears.
If an individual is not a good surgical candidate or if their meniscus tear symptoms are not significant, surgery can often be delayed or avoided.
If the meniscus tear interferes with activities, then a surgery to treat the meniscus tear should be considered.
There are generally two surgical options for treating a meniscus tear:
Meniscus repair - is a surgical procedure done to repair the damaged meniscus. This procedure can restore the normal anatomy of the knee, and has a long-term prognosis when successful. the meniscus repair is a more significant surgery, the recovery is longer and because of limited blood supply to the meniscus, it is not always possible.
Meniscectomy - is a procedure to remove the torn portion of the meniscus. Most meniscus tears cannot be treated by a repair for a number of reasons. Often the tear is in an avascular region of the meniscus, and will not heal even if repaired. Some tears are frayed and cannot be sutured together. In these cases, the meniscectomy is done to remove the damaged portion of meniscus. The meniscectomy has a faster recovery, but it can lead to trouble years down the road because of the absence of the normal meniscus.