What is the best treatment for meniscal injury with fluid? Meniscal injuries are very common in clinical practice, but many people are still unaware of the disease, even after years of suffering from it. Today, let the orthopedic surgeon tell you what you should know about meniscus and meniscal injuries. The meniscus is a piece of fibrocartilage in the knee joint, the medial meniscus in a C-shape on the inside and the lateral meniscus in an O-shape on the outside. The meniscus is perfectly positioned and sized, just like a soft cushion with excellent elasticity, embedded between the thigh bone and the calf bone to compensate for the asymmetry between the large and small legs, increasing the stability and matching of the joint and reducing the shock impact. Meniscus injury causes 1, young and strong: mostly because of sports injuries Rapid twisting, bouncing landing, falling and tripping …… these actions all cause pressure on the joint, greater than the meniscus withstand range, there will be tears, fractures and even partial peeling, resulting in acute traumatic injury. 2, the elderly: degeneration With age, the meniscus degenerates and degenerates, the elasticity gradually decreases, and some frequent friction of the joints (such as going up and down stairs, climbing mountains, etc.) can cause the meniscus to rupture. This explains why some middle-aged and elderly patients develop meniscal injuries even though there is no clear history of trauma. Meniscal injury symptoms Acute phase: significant pain and swelling in the knee joint, fluid accumulation, and impairment in joint flexion and extension activities. After the acute phase, the swelling and joint effusion gradually subside, but the joint is still painful when moving, especially when doing squatting, running, jumping and other movements. Some patients also have the phenomenon of “interlocking” (there is something stuck in the knee joint that cannot be moved). Can a meniscus injury repair itself? The answer is no. The meniscus is fibrocartilage and has no blood supply except for the border with the joint capsule: the outer 1/3 is the red zone, which is covered by blood flow and needs to be sutured as much as possible during surgery. The middle 1/3 is the red and white zone, which is partially covered by blood flow and can be sutured or removed if it ruptures. The inner 1/3 is the white zone, which is not covered by blood flow and must be removed if it ruptures. How to treat meniscus injury? Once the meniscus injury becomes old, the chance of surgery will be lost, and the torn meniscus will affect the synovial tissue during joint activities, which in turn will accelerate joint degeneration. Therefore, meniscus injury should be diagnosed and treated early. 1, young adults Most of the injuries are acute, and arthroscopic surgery is recommended, including suturing and partial removal of the meniscus. For a small number of meniscus edge injuries, general brace fixation and observation. 2.Elderly For older patients with obvious symptoms, arthroscopic surgery is also needed. If the symptoms are mild, conservative treatment is possible. Both young and old, exercise therapy is highly recommended: leg muscles can be developed in some cases to relieve the pressure on the knee, reduce the damage to the knee, usually can exercise more quadriceps. (1) straight leg raise Lie on your back, leg straight, do not bend the knee, thigh muscles tighten, lift, so that the leg straight and lying plane at an angle of 30-40 °, each time maintain more than 6 seconds, slowly put down, 3 groups per day, 30-50 times per group. (2) side leg raise side lying, the knee joint can be slightly flexed, leg muscles tightened, side leg raise, and lying plane into 30-40 ° angle, each time maintain more than 6 seconds, slowly put down, 3 groups per day, each group 30 a 50 times. (3) stand against the wall static squat back against the wall, feet apart and shoulder width, feet gradually stretch forward, so that the long axis of the calf and the ground vertical, the angle between the thighs and calves is generally less than 90 °, toes straight ahead, do not inside the eight or outside the eight, adhere to 30 minutes continuously, once a day. Arthroscopic surgery tips Many people think that arthroscopic surgery is to remove the meniscus completely. During the actual surgery, doctors will generally: try to retain as much of the meniscus as possible to have some function, so it is still important to retain as much as possible during arthroscopic treatment. Especially in the case of transverse lacerations in the marginal area near the joint capsule where there is blood nourishment, the joint can be repaired with sutures and expected to heal on its own. For meniscus injuries that are more severe and have no possibility of healing, it is better to cut them. Partial meniscectomy will not cause significant damage or discomfort to the joint.