I. How is this surgery performed roughly? Will the meniscus be repaired, or removed? Is all of it to be removed, or just the damaged meniscus?
For most menisci, two incisions of less than 1 cm are usually sufficient. For some special types of meniscus that require some special techniques, an additional 3-5 cm adjuvant incision may be added, but the adjuvant incision will not communicate with the joint cavity.
In younger patients, if the meniscus is available for repair, suture repair is preferred. If the condition is not available and the damaged meniscus is removed, an experienced joint surgeon will try to preserve the normal meniscus for you as a last resort.
Second, will the removal of the meniscus affect normal knee function? Many people are concerned about the after-effects of this surgery and fear that the degeneration of the knee joint will be worse after the surgery. Is this true?
According to current medical data, the percentage of meniscectomies and even meniscal repairs that are fully restored to normal uninjured joints does not exceed 50%, and most will have some effect.
If the meniscus is ruptured, the degeneration of the knee will be more severe without surgery, which can slow down the degeneration of the knee, but cannot stop it.
In general, you can understand the meniscus in the following way.
1. It is better to have it than not to have it: this is the reason why we try to repair it, but we can still do meniscus transplantation if we cannot save it.
2. Your own is better than someone else’s: if you have a small amount of meniscus to remove, you don’t need a meniscus transplant.
3. Broken meniscus is worse than none: this is why we recommend early surgery, because broken meniscus wears out the joint cartilage and accelerates joint degeneration
Third, some women, worry that the scars of the surgery affect the aesthetics. So, how big is the scar after arthroscopic surgery? Are there any stitches that can make the scars look smaller?
Most patients only apply two incisions less than 1cm and are located at the knee’s eye level, which is not visible without a close look.
If auxiliary incisions are needed, talking to your surgeon before surgery about the need for cosmetic stitches can be effective in reducing the scars.
Of course, if you are a scarred person then the doctor can not help, but generally speaking should choose health first, and then choose aesthetic, do you think?
IV. What is the effect after surgery? Can it be restored to its normal state? Do I need to do rehabilitation exercises after surgery?
For patients with partial meniscectomy, 90-95% of patients have excellent results.
For patients with meniscus suture, 80-90% of patients have excellent results.
Patients with complete meniscectomy have good results for 5 years, with a gradual increase in the incidence of osteoarthritis found after 10 years.
Meniscal transplantation is a relatively new technique with good short-term results (within 5 years).
In patients with combined osteoarthritis, we can only address the meniscus, not the osteoarthritis. This is the reason it is not possible to be the same as a normal knee joint.
Meniscectomy patients can get out of bed and walk after the rehabilitation exercise, but it is recommended to reduce the activity for one month, and in general the mobility will not be affected after the surgery.
Meniscal repair patients are not recommended to hyperextend and flex the knee beyond 90 degrees for 6 weeks after surgery, depending on the repair site.
The rehabilitation of meniscus transplant patients is relatively complex, so please talk to your surgeon for details.