Can I recover from a meniscus injury? How long does it take to recover from a meniscus injury? I believe many people have heard of meniscus injuries. Meniscal injuries can occur not only in young people, but also in the elderly. Meniscus injury in young people is mainly due to acute injury caused by various sports; while meniscus injury in elderly people is mostly a chronic degenerative change. What is the meniscus? The meniscus is a pair of padded shock-absorbing “cartilage spacers” in the knee joint, called meniscus because of its curved shape, like a crescent. It is similar to the rubber pads in machine bearings and acts as a force cushion, shock absorber, joint stabilizer and lubricant for the knee joint. The meniscus exists in pairs within the knee joint, the medial one in the shape of a “C” and the lateral one in the shape of an “O”. These two “spacers” are located between the femur (thigh bone) and tibia (calf bone) and play an elastic and shock-absorbing role during knee movements and jumps to protect the joint cartilage. What are the signs of meniscus injury? Pain A meniscal injury can only be felt when the joint twists during squatting or squatting. This is because of the pulling force between the different injured parts, and this pulling force is a major cause of meniscal pain. If you do horizontal exercises, such as walking or running, and the joint does not twist, many people do not feel the pain, but this does not mean that your meniscus is fine. At this point, you can do squatting exercises to try to see if it hurts. Rattling There is a popping sound, like the sound of a ball point pen or automatic pencil. Most of them are caused by the instability of one part of the meniscus after the injury, which may cause the knee to get stuck when moving, such as when walking or walking up the stairs, the knee suddenly gets stuck and cannot bend or straighten. However, it is important to note that in middle-aged and elderly people with chronic knee pain, the problem of jamming does not necessarily stem from damage to the meniscus, but may be a problem with the cartilage. When there is pain, ringing, or jamming in the knee, it is usually a real indication that you may have meniscal damage. Many meniscus injuries do not swell because they are not severe, especially if the injury is in an area without blood flow, but just because it does not swell does not mean that the meniscus is not damaged. Does a meniscus injury heal on its own? The vast majority of the meniscus is avascular (white zone), with only 25% to 30% of the meniscus near the lateral edge having abundant blood flow (red zone). The red zone can repair itself, while the white zone is mainly nourished by the joint fluid, and the speed of repair is very slow. Therefore, once the meniscus is damaged, it is extremely difficult to recover and heal, so it should be protected and cherished. How is meniscus injury treated? Meniscus injury treatment is mainly based on surgery. Before meniscus surgery treatment, the type of meniscus injury and other conditions must be clarified through arthroscopic examination to determine whether meniscus repair can be carried out, and the surgery mainly takes the form of arthroscopic meniscus suture, arthroscopic meniscoplasty and meniscus transplantation. Acute phase treatment When acute injury occurs, stop the activity immediately, rest in place, ice as soon as possible, apply pressure bandage with gauze, immobilize the affected limb in extension position if possible, elevate the affected limb, and go to a nearby hospital as soon as possible. After admission, improve the relevant tests to clarify the condition and treat the symptoms at the same time. If the joint effusion is obvious, joint cavity aspiration treatment is feasible. Medication For patients with significant knee pain and swelling, topical anti-inflammatory and analgesic gel or creams can be applied topically and oral anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs, swelling and pain relief, and cartilage nourishing drugs can be administered symptomatically. Surgery If the meniscus is severely damaged and there is severe pain in a fixed position, with symptoms such as joint interlocking and restricted movement, the patient should be seen in the hospital as soon as possible. The physician will make a clinical diagnosis based on the patient’s medical history, symptoms, signs, and MRI findings. If surgery is required, the physician will consider the specific surgical procedure: arthroscopic meniscus suture, partial meniscectomy, subtotal meniscectomy, or meniscectomy, depending on the specific circumstances of the arthroscopic meniscus injury. Currently, many arthroscopic meniscal surgeries can be performed by DaySurgery, and anesthesia options are available: general anesthesia, lumbar anesthesia, or even local nerve block anesthesia. Prophylactic antibiotics may be given to avoid postoperative infections after meniscus suturing and meniscus grafting. However, for meniscectomy in general, postoperative antibiotic abuse is generally not recommended. Patients are also advised to wear compression stockings to prevent the possibility of postoperative thrombosis. Meniscal suturing preserves the structure and function of the damaged meniscus to the greatest extent possible, but requires postoperative bracing for protection. The surgeon will consider the type, location, texture, and stability of the meniscal tear and consider whether to perform the suture. If this is not possible, then partial or complete removal of the meniscus should be more appropriate. Meniscectomy Mainly includes arthroscopic partial removal, subtotal removal or meniscectomy of the meniscus. During the operation, depending on the specific damage of the meniscus, the damaged and unsutureable damaged meniscal tissue is removed, which has a higher risk of causing osteoarthritis compared to meniscal suture. Meniscus replacement is suitable for patients with a disfiguring meniscus injury or who have had a total or subtotal meniscectomy with loss of the overall annulus of the meniscus. Patients <50 years of age with a high activity requirement, good knee cartilage, stable joints, normal lower extremity force lines, and if there is pain in the affected knee space may be considered for meniscus transplantation.