Meniscus Tear Treatment
Diagnosis and treatment of meniscus tears, from rehabilitation to arthroscopic repair, for athletes and active adults in Port St. Lucie and Palm Beach Gardens.
What a meniscus tear feels like
The meniscus is the knee's shock absorber: two wedges of cartilage that spread load and steady the joint. A tear usually shows up as pain along the inside or outside of the knee, swelling that comes and goes, and a knee that catches, locks or will not fully straighten. Some people feel a pop at the moment it happens; others notice it build over weeks.
How it happens
Acute tears
One moment of twisting, pivoting or a bad landing, often during sport. They frequently arrive alongside an ACL tear.
Degenerative tears
Tissue that has weakened with age and frayed rather than snapped, sometimes with no clear injury at all.
How it is diagnosed
An exam tests the joint line and the movements that catch. An MRI shows the tear and its pattern, and X-rays show whether arthritis is also present, which changes the advice.
Treatment depends on the tear
Location decides a lot. The outer rim has a blood supply, and small tears there sometimes heal with rest and rehabilitation. The inner portion has almost none, and tears there generally do not. For many degenerative tears, physical therapy is the first step. The article can a meniscus tear heal on its own? goes through the evidence.
When surgery is needed, it is arthroscopic. Where a tear can be stitched, it is, because keeping the meniscus protects the knee from arthritis later. Where it cannot, the damaged part is trimmed. More on meniscus repair surgery.
Signs it needs more than rest
- The knee locks, catches or will not straighten
- Swelling keeps coming back
- The knee gives way under you
- Pain has not improved after a course of rehabilitation
- The tear came with an ACL injury
- You want to return to running or pivoting sport
FAQ
Common Patient Questions
Some can. Small tears on the outer rim, which has a blood supply, sometimes heal with rest and rehabilitation. Tears in the inner portion, and larger or complex tears, generally do not.
Often, yes. Many people keep walking on a torn meniscus. A knee that locks, will not straighten or keeps swelling should be examined rather than walked through.
Usually. The exam suggests a tear, and an MRI shows where it is and what pattern it has, which decides the treatment.
A repair stitches the tear so the meniscus heals and is kept. A trim, or partial meniscectomy, removes the damaged part. A repair asks more of the recovery but protects the knee in the long run.
A trim is usually a matter of weeks. After a repair, running and pivoting sport tends to come back between three and six months, decided by testing rather than a date.
Some settle. Others keep catching or swelling, and a knee that loses its cushioning tends to wear faster, so arthritis can arrive sooner.
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Where You’d Be Seen
Meniscus tear treatment in Port St. Lucie & Palm Beach Gardens
Dr. Matarazzo sees patients for this at both offices — Port St. Lucie (1100 SW St. Lucie West Blvd., Ste. 105) and Palm Beach Gardens (11380 Prosperity Farms Rd, Ste 204). Patients travel in from Stuart, Jensen Beach, Fort Pierce, Jupiter, North Palm Beach and West Palm Beach — see every area we serve, or call 561-202-8886.