The meniscus is two crescent-like fibrocartilages located in the gap between the femur and tibia.
The shape of the meniscus: when viewed from above, the lateral meniscus looks like an “O” and the medial meniscus looks like a “C”; when viewed from front to back, both meniscus look like a triangle.
Functions of the meniscus: pressure transmission; shock absorption; stabilization of the knee joint; limitation of excessive knee flexion and extension; lubrication of the knee joint.
The mobility of the meniscus: the lateral meniscus is more mobile and relatively easier to injure; the medial meniscus is more fixed and relatively less likely to be injured.
Blood flow distribution of the meniscus: the outer 1/3 is the red zone, covered by blood flow, which needs to be preserved as much as possible during surgery
The middle 1/3 is the red and white zone, with partial blood flow, which can be removed if it ruptures
The inner 1/3 is the white zone, which is not covered by blood flow and can be removed if ruptured.
Meniscal rupture usually occurs in the white zone, if not treated in time, the rupture mouth can extend to the red and white zone or even the red zone, if it extends to the red zone, it is more difficult to deal with.
Causes of meniscus injury.
1, acute traumatic tears: mostly seen in young people’s sports injuries, when the knee joint is quickly twisted, vigorously kicked soccer kick empty, squatting walking, running when tripped easily produce meniscus injury.
2, chronic degenerative tears: associated with age-related degeneration of the meniscus and chronic injuries caused by repeated knee activities, commonly occurring in the posterior horn of the medial meniscus.
Types of meniscus rupture.
Typical symptoms of meniscal injury: pain, interlocked knee (i.e., stuck feeling), decreased range of motion in flexion and extension, and the presence of popping in the knee joint.
Physical examination of meniscal injuries: McKay test, grind test, squat walk test.
Examination of meniscus injury.
1.Magnetic resonance examination (non-invasive, commonly used in clinical practice);
2, arthrography (trauma exists, less commonly used at present)
3, arthroscopy (traumatic, but treatment can be performed at the same time as the examination).
Treatment of meniscus injury.
1.90% of meniscus ruptures need to be treated by surgery.
2.Meniscal injuries that show less than III degree on MRI can be treated conservatively for the time being.
Conservative treatment methods: braking, reducing walking and standing and squatting, regular review, found that the degree of rupture aggravated the need for surgical treatment. Meniscus injury with MRI showing degree III or above is recommended to be treated surgically.
Surgical treatment methods.
1.Excisional surgery: more traumatic, less used at present.
2, arthroscopic surgery: small trauma, good efficacy, fast recovery, is the clinical treatment of choice for meniscal injury.
Surgery: partial meniscus removal, most of the meniscus removal, total meniscus removal, meniscus suture, meniscus transplantation.
Consequences of Meniscal Injury: The greatest danger of meniscal injury is that when walking and exercising will lead to cartilage wear and tear of the knee joint, resulting in permanent cartilage damage to the knee joint. When the cartilage damage reaches a certain level, it is often difficult to achieve a satisfactory outcome even if the meniscus injury is treated surgically! If symptoms, physical examination and MRI agree that a meniscal injury is present and requires surgical treatment, early treatment is recommended. The best time for treatment is usually within three months of a definite meniscus injury, as prolonged walking and activity with a meniscus injury will result in irreversible wear and tear of the knee cartilage.
The best time to treat a meniscus injury is usually within three months.
Type.