Treating Your Knee Meniscus Tear

If you’re dealing with a torn meniscus, here’s what you should know about treating it. 

The meniscus is a cartilage that provides knee stability as well as shock absorption and cushioning. Unfortunately, any fast or sudden twisting or turning movements of the knee can lead to a torn meniscus. We see meniscus tears in patients of all ages, and most frequently in athletes. If you suddenly experience knee pain, stiffness, or a popping sensation when bending the knee, you could have a torn meniscus. While our Los Angeles, and West Covina, CA, doctors can repair a meniscus tear there are other ways in which we may treat this problem.

Treating a Meniscus Tear 

We will need to run X-rays first in order to determine the exact size of the tear as well as its location. These factors will determine how to best address the injury. For example, tears on the outside area of the meniscus may heal on their own if you’re only dealing with a very small tear. This is because this part of the meniscus gets great blood flow, which can help it heal on its own. Unfortunately, tears on the inner portion of the meniscus will not get ample blood flow, which means that it won’t heal without medical intervention.

You Might Not Need Surgery 

Most people assume that a meniscus tear means that they need repair surgery; however, our West Covina, CA, orthopedists provide a variety of surgical and nonsurgical meniscus tear treatment options. In cases where nonsurgical treatment is enough to heal the tear, some things to help manage your symptoms and speed up the healing process are to:

• Rest and avoid walking and other activities
• Elevate your knee to reduce swelling
• Ice the knee 15-20 minutes at a time 3-4 times a day to reduce pain and swelling
• Take an anti-inflammatory to alleviate pain and inflammation
• Use compression bandages (your orthopedist can show you the proper way to compress and wrap the knee)
• Perform exercises as directed by our orthopedic team, which can assist in rebuilding and strengthening the ligaments, tendons, and other soft tissue in and around the knee to promote better stability
  
  

Getting Surgery for a Meniscus Tear 

Surgery may be recommended by our orthopedic team if the tear is severe or if nonsurgical treatment options aren’t working. An MRI is typically performed to determine whether your meniscus tear can benefit from surgery to repair the tear. Those with a Grade 3 (severe) tear are more likely to need surgery in order to recover from their injury.

If you are dealing with a knee meniscus tear in West Covina, LA, or Brentwood, CA, and are interested in turning to our orthopedic team for repair surgery, the next step is to schedule an evaluation with us to find out the best treatment options to fit your needs. Call Samimi Orthopaedic Group at (310) 606-2156 or (626) 338-7391 to book an appointment.