Patient: After subtotal discoid meniscectomy, 2 months postoperative phase pain: about once a month, with little precursor before the pain. I was able to recover basically again after a week of rest. The current state is that I can basically walk at a normal slow speed, and there is basically no swelling and pain in the muscles of the 2 legs, and there is no problem with the bending angle, but walking is unstable, and I have to walk up and down stairs with support. On November 19, 2008, I had a meniscectomy in Shanghai (discoid meniscus barrel stem-like injury), and according to the doctor, more than 80% of the meniscus was removed. After that, the pain would come once a month, without any warning, and it would come and go. I was in a lot of pain and under a lot of psychological pressure. What are the after-effects of a sub-total meniscus cut like mine? I read your article that the sooner the meniscus is removed, the better the transplantation will be. Is it true that all people who have their meniscus removed will have pain after a few years (more cartilage damage)? Do you have any statistics in your clinic? Zhang Yadong, Department of Orthopedics, PLA 304 Hospital: 1. After total or partial removal of meniscus, the main problem is the wear and tear of articular cartilage, joint degeneration, and patients may also have joint instability and other phenomena. After meniscus removal, the vast majority of patients will suffer from pain due to wear and tear of the articular cartilage, which only occurs early or late and is generally related to factors such as the amount of activity. Allogeneic meniscus transplantation is usually performed as soon as possible at the early stage of cartilage wear symptoms. If delayed, the best time for meniscus transplantation may be lost due to cartilage damage. 2. Our hospital is the hospital that has completed the most meniscus transplants (including minimally invasive surgery) in China. At present, except for 2 cases where the rehabilitation exercise is not yet ideal, the majority of patients have recovered with good results. If you go to our hospital you can communicate with patients who have undergone surgery before deciding whether to accept this surgical treatment. 3. Just stagger the surgery and pregnancy. You should avoid standing for a long time after the meniscus is removed. 4.After total or major meniscus removal, the chance of osteoarthritis is high. It is recommended that you should usually limit strenuous activities and strengthen the quadriceps exercise. This should include your left knee lesion as well. 5. The meniscus plays an important role in the normal function of the knee joint, and doctors will only remove the meniscus as a last resort. When the meniscus must be removed, the normal part of the meniscus must be preserved as much as possible. 6. Your current situation does not appear to be a sign of cartilage wear, but other pathological factors can be ruled out, so it is inconvenient to draw a hasty conclusion because I do not know your entire situation. However, even if it is not a problem of cartilage wear, it is still a reasonable choice to perform meniscal transplantation after meniscectomy. Other possible pathological factors can be addressed at the same time as this procedure. The vast majority of discoid meniscus will sooner or later develop meniscal damage, which mostly requires surgical treatment to heal, and conservative treatment has no definite effect. Patient: I am now conflicted: if I wait until I feel pain is the opportunity for transplantation lost (too much cartilage wear). What can I do in my case to protect the cartilage as much as possible and reduce the wear and tear. According to your hospital’s clinical study, how long is it usually guaranteed if exercised well? Zhang Yadong, Department of Orthopedics, PLA 304 Hospital: The main measures to protect the cartilage are to reduce weight bearing and wear, and to exercise the muscles around the knee joint. The outcome after meniscectomy is related to many factors such as the patient’s condition and age, and it is impossible for anyone to be sure how long it can be guaranteed. I advocate that treatment of young people after meniscectomy should be more aggressive and should not be delayed.