What type of meniscus tear is the worst? Bucket-handle meniscus tears are the most serious type of meniscus injury. They often occur alongside a ligament injury. Bucket-handle tears require prompt surgery in order to have the best possible chance of recovery.
In serious cases, it can develop into long-term knee problems, like arthritis. In addition moving around with a torn meniscus could pull fragments of the cartilage into the joint causing larger knee issues which could requiring more significant surgery in the future.
If your doctor's exam shows your meniscus tear is mild (Grade 1 or 2), you may not need surgery. If it's Grade 3, you probably will. Your doctor might choose to do any of the following: Arthroscopic repair.
If these conservative treatments no longer help treat the pain, surgery is the only option for repairing a torn meniscus. A grade 3 meniscus tear will require surgery and there are different forms of surgery depending on the tear.
Generally, grade 3 and grade 4 meniscus tears require surgical repair.
Meniscus tears are the most frequently treated knee injuries. Recovery will take about 6 to 8 weeks if your meniscus tear is treated conservatively, without surgery. If your symptoms persist after 3 months or your symptoms become significant, your doctor may recommend surgery to repair the tear.
Meniscus recovery timelines for grade 3 tears and other surgical repairs can be as long as four months.
A tear is usually labeled as severe if the meniscus has a big tear. Loose pieces may cause the knee joint to lock or catch. This level of injury may also keep you from bending or straightening your leg and can make walking difficult. Severe tears usually require surgery to repair.
For grade 3 lesions, there are complete meniscal tears with an interruption of the meniscal surface; meniscal repair by surgical intervention is the treatment of choice; for older or low-demand patients, partial meniscectomy is preferred [9]. Grade 2 lesions can be considered a prestage meniscal rupture.
If you have a small tear at the outer edge of the meniscus (in what doctors call the red zone), you may want to try home treatment. These tears often heal with rest. If you have a moderate to large tear at the outer edge of the meniscus (red zone), you may want to think about surgery.
There is often sharp pain when you twist or squat. Symptoms may go away but can come back from overuse or when you do activities that involve twisting. The pain may come and go over a period of years if the tear isn't treated. Larger tears usually cause more pain and immediate swelling and stiffness.
A torn meniscus usually produces well-localized pain in the knee. The pain often is worse during twisting or squatting motions. Unless the torn meniscus has locked the knee, many people with a torn meniscus can walk, stand, sit, and sleep without pain.
Incomplete Tear
However, this injury doesn't usually pose a problem. These tears are considered stable injuries, and surgery is not required. The tear can be seen via an MRI scan.
A torn meniscus can cause temporary or permanent disability and prevent a person from being able to walk around easily. If you have a job that involves manual labor or movement, your injury is likely to put you out of work until you can heal, which may take weeks or months.
Those in severe pain and for whom basic treatments don't work may be candidates for meniscus surgery. The best way to ensure that this is the right course to take is by receiving an MRI. A physician may also look at the tear with an arthroscope, a thin tool with a camera and a light at the end.
Meniscus repair is optimally performed within the first two months after meniscus tear to maximize meniscus healing. Walking on a knee that is 'locked' (does not fully straighten) may damage the meniscus further and make a tear unrepairable.
Not all meniscus tears require a doctor's care. Pain and swelling that recur or don't go away are usually signs a tear is serious enough to see a doctor. Locking, or being unable to straighten or bend the knee also merits a trip to the doctor.
How soon you can return to work depends on your job. If you sit at work, you may be able to go back in 1 to 2 weeks. But if you are on your feet at work, it may take 4 to 6 weeks. If you are very physically active in your job, it may take 3 to 6 months.
Ordinarily, your doctor or physical therapist will ask you to reduce your sports activities while your meniscus tear heals. Healing could take between four and eight weeks. However, the time depends on the severity and position of the tear.
So unfortunately, having a meniscal tear which requires surgery may raise your risk of getting arthritis later in life. It has also been shown that a knee that has undergone meniscus surgery has weaker thigh muscles and poorer quality of cartilage 4 years after the surgery [3].
Physical Therapy
Low-impact exercises such as stationary biking may reduce your level of pain, improve mobility, and restore function to the area around the meniscus tear. As your knee and muscles grow stronger, your physical therapist guides you in returning to more vigorous activity.
If the meniscus has been removed, even if a small piece has been removed, then the stress on the articular cartilage increase 3-fold. That can cause osteoarthritis, which may go on to require a knee replacement. What is this? Your risk of developing osteoarthritis increases when a meniscus tear occurs.
Most people can walk with crutches soon after meniscus surgery. Many return to normal activities within six to eight weeks. Your healthcare provider may recommend low-impact activities rather than high-impact (such as walking rather than running). If you have a physical job, you may need extra time off work to recover.