Meniscus Surgery: A brief understanding

Many people over the age of 30 have some sort of problem with their knees making walking, running or playing sport uncomfortable, and thousands of people each year have surgery to remove damaged cartilage from within their knees.

Sandwiched in the centre of the knee joint are two crescent-shaped wedges of cartilage – meniscal cartilage. Their function is to act as shock absorbers and allow the hinge-like joint to move freely. However, bending the knee becomes painful if this cartilage is torn or damaged. Some small tears may heal spontaneously, but larger ones will not. Surgeons then operate to remove the offending part of the cartilage. There are three main types of meniscal surgery: torn meniscus, bucket handle and meniscal cysts.

A torn meniscus is simply the tearing of the meniscal muscle while performing some activity. The meniscus fist between the two long bones of the knee as a shock absorber; when it is torn in an injury, it is usually due to twisting motions used in such sports as basketball, volleyball, rugby and tennis. One normally experiences severe pain at the time of tearing and some swelling due to bleeding inside the joint is apparent almost immediately. One may p

Meniscal cysts are fluid-filled lumps which you can feel at the joint line. Tiny tears of the meniscal muscle often cause them.

Open repair was once the standard for meniscal surgery, but most repairs today are done arthroscopically. Three techniques are available: inside out, outside in, and all inside. The inside-out technique uses a single suture placement on the meniscus. The method has several problems, however. An incision is necessary, the procedure is time-consuming, and it requires a good assistant. The patient has a tendency to be stuck by the suturing needle, and there is potential for injury. On the other hand, the instruments are readily available, and the procedure is effective cost-wise (Mooney 1-7).

rogress to a feeling of extreme tenderness in the joints and complete instability (The Knee Guru: Knees and More).

For the outside-in technique, sutures are passed from outside the joint and across the meniscus tear. The free ends of the opposing sutures are tied together through small incisions. The advantages are similar to those of the inside-out technique, readily available instruments and cost effectiveness (Johnson 1)

All in all, there is no perfect way to understand and prevent knee problems, especially meniscus problems. You can only try to do what is best for your body and cross the surgery bridge if you come to it,

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