CONDITION - Knee Meniscus Tear
The meniscus is a shock-absorbing cartilage in the middle of your knee. There are two menisci: one on the inside ("medial") and another on the outside of the knee ("lateral").
Pain with meniscus tears is often a sharp pain, usually on the inside or outside of the knee. Many patients will have swelling in the knee with the meniscus tear. Often there is a clicking in the knee when the meniscus is torn. Twisting or squatting can cause increased pain. Sometimes, if there is a large meniscus tear, a patient can complain that their knee locks, that is, it gets stuck in a certain position then needs to be "wiggled" to get it back into place.
The meniscus can be torn in several ways. These are classified into two general categories:
- Traumatic, such as getting hit from the side by another person in the knee. Injuries to ligaments in the knee, such as the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) can also be associated with a mensicus tear.
- Degenerative, as you age, so do your menisci. They become soft in the middle, like a jelly doughnut. Sometimes, even the most trivial trauma, like squatting, or a sudden twisting motion can cause the meniscus to tear once it has become soft. There are even times people don't remember what caused the tear at all!
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