Meniscus Repair
Meniscus tear surgery and arthroscopic repair that preserves cartilage and protects the knee. Board-certified care in Port St. Lucie and Palm Beach Gardens.
What is meniscus repair, and can my tear be repaired?
The meniscus is the knee’s shock absorber — a pair of cartilage wedges that spread load, steady the joint and keep the surfaces off each other. Lose it and the knee wears out faster, which is why the first question is always whether it can be saved rather than trimmed.
Whether it can be repaired comes down to where the tear sits. The outer rim has a blood supply and will heal; the inner portion has almost none and generally will not. Arthroscopy shows the pattern of the tear and which zone it is in, and that decides between stitching it, trimming the damaged part, or adding biologic augmentation.
Where it can be stitched, it is. Recovery from a repair asks more of you than a trim does — protected movement first, then strength, then control, then a staged return to sport — but you keep the cartilage, and that is what protects the knee from arthritis twenty years out.
Which meniscus tears do we treat?
Acute Meniscus Tears
The tear that happens in one moment — a twist, a pivot, a bad landing.
Degenerative Meniscus Tears
Tissue that has weakened with age and frayed rather than snapped.
Bucket Handle Meniscus Tear
A large fragment folded into the joint, locking the knee or stopping it straightening.
Radial Meniscus Tears
Tears running across the fibres, which undo the meniscus’s ability to spread load.
Recurrent Meniscus Pain After Previous Surgery
Symptoms that came back after earlier surgery.
Meniscus Extrusion
A meniscus that has slipped outward from the joint line and stopped doing its job.
Meniscus Tear with ACL Injury
A meniscus tear alongside an ACL injury — the two often arrive together.
Mechanical Knee Locking / Catching
A knee that catches or locks because loose tissue is caught in the joint.
Why preserving it matters
- The knee keeps its own shock absorber
- Load spread across the joint the way it was meant to be
- The pain, swelling, catching and locking settle
- A lower chance of arthritis arriving early
- Normal movement patterns restored
- Done arthroscopically, through small incisions
- Rehabilitation written to protect the repair while it heals
- Weight-bearing and strength work reintroduced in stages
- A supported route back to training and sport
- The long game: keeping the joint you were born with
Still working out what is wrong? The meniscus tear page covers symptoms, diagnosis and the non-surgical options.
Come in, get a straight answer about what is wrong, and leave knowing what happens next.
Further reading: Can a Meniscus Tear Heal on Its Own? When Rest Works and When It Doesn’t.
FAQ
Common Patient Questions
No. It depends on where the tear sits, its pattern, and the quality of the tissue — the outer rim has a blood supply and heals, the inner portion largely does not.
Several months. The repair has to be protected early and loaded gradually, and the timeline shifts with the tear and what you are returning to.
Usually yes, for the first stretch, to keep load off the repair while it takes.
Running and pivoting sport tends to land between three and six months, and you go back on testing rather than on a date.
The joint loses its cushioning. Cartilage wears faster, pain becomes chronic, and degenerative change arrives sooner than it should.
Small tears on the outer rim sometimes do, with rest and rehabilitation, because that edge has a blood supply. Larger or more complex tears generally will not.
Three to six months for most people, varying with the tear, what was done about it, and how closely the rehabilitation is followed.
Related
You may also be interested in
ACL Reconstruction
ACL Reconstruction →Knee Ligament Reconstructions
Knee Ligament Reconstructions →Patellar Dislocation Surgery
Patellar Dislocation Surgery →Where You’d Be Seen
Meniscus repair in Port St. Lucie & Palm Beach Gardens
This is offered at both locations — our orthopedic office in Port St. Lucie (1100 SW St. Lucie West Blvd., Ste. 105) and our orthopedic office in 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.