Meniscus tear

What is a meniscus tear?

You have two menisci – one on the inside of your knee (medial) and one on the outside (lateral). They sit between your thigh bone (femur) and shin bone (tibia), and act like shock absorbers, absorbing the impact of your upper leg on your lower leg. They also help to keep your knee stable.

You can tear either your lateral or medial meniscus. A torn meniscus is a common knee injury – sometimes you can also injure your anterior cruciate ligament too.

Causes of meniscus tears

In younger people, meniscus tears are usually caused by twisting your knee. This often happens when you play a sport, such as football or basketball.

In older people, you can get a torn meniscus from minor injuries such as:

• twisting awkwardly when you stand up
• wear and tear

These are called degenerative tears.

Symptoms of meniscus tears

Meniscus tear symptoms vary depending on the severity of your injury.

What are the signs of a meniscus tear in the knee?

meniscus tear symptoms include:

• feeling a ‘pop’ in your knee
• pain in your knee
• swelling (can start a few hours after injury)
• catching or locking, usually when it’s bent
• clicking in the knee
• knee instability
• not being able to bend and extend your knee fully
• tenderness

Self-help for meniscus tears

Follow the POLICE procedure

Protect. Rest immediately after the injury and consider using some form of support or crutches.

Optimal Loading. Get active sooner rather than later. Start to put weight on your knee and build up your range of movement gradually.

Ice. Place a cold compress, such as a bag of ice or frozen peas wrapped in a towel, on your knee. Do this for around 20 minutes every couple of hours for the first two to three days.

Compression. Compress your knee using a bandage to help reduce swelling.

Elevation. Elevate your knee above the level of your heart to reduce swelling. Sit or lie on a chair and use a cushion to raise your leg.

Treatment for meniscus tears

How do you treat a torn meniscus?

Treatment options will depend on how badly you’ve torn your meniscus. You’ll need to go to A&E for assessment. Here they will usually:

• examine you
• take some X-rays or an MRI scan of your knee
• refer you to an acute knee clinic for follow up treatment

Can a meniscus tear heal?

Sometimes, small tears can heal with self-help. But if your injury is larger, you’ll usually need some form of treatment for the tear to heal.

Medicines for meniscus tears

If you are in pain from a torn meniscus, you can take over-the-counter painkillers such as:

• paracetamol
• ibuprofen (which may help to reduce inflammation and swelling)

Your doctor may prescribe stronger painkillers if your pain is severe.

Always read the patient information that comes with your medicine, and if you have questions, ask a pharmacist or GP for advice.

Physiotherapy for meniscus tears

A physiotherapist can assess your injury and create a personal programme of rehabilitation exercises. These will:

• help to strengthen your knee and leg muscles
• help your knee to recover it’s full range of movement
• improve your knee stability

You can also try other low impact activities to keep you fit, such as:

• biking
• walking on a treadmill
• swimming

These shouldn’t cause you any pain, so stop immediately if they do.

Can you still walk with a torn meniscus?

Many people find they can walk straight after the injury happened, but swelling and stiffness can occur a few hours later. You may find it hard to walk without support such as crutches.

Surgery for meniscus tears

If you have a large meniscus tear, or treatments haven’t worked, you might need a meniscus repair surgery. Sometimes the damaged meniscus will be removed. This surgery is usually done via a type of keyhole surgery called a knee arthroscopy.

You’ll need at least 6 weeks of physiotherapy after meniscus tear surgery to help you recover.