Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
A tear of a meniscus is a rupturing of one or more of the fibrocartilage strips in the knee called menisci.When doctors and patients refer to "torn cartilage" in the knee, they actually may be referring to an injury to a meniscus at the top of one of the tibiae.
A bucket-handle tear of the knee is a specific type of meniscal injury characterized by a longitudinal tear of the medial or lateral meniscus, where a displaced inner fragment resembles the appearance of a "bucket handle". [1]
Therefore, a torn piece can begin to move inside the joint, get caught between the bones, and cause pain, swelling, and decreased mobility. However, recent research has called into question whether many meniscus tears actually cause pain or are simply part of the normal degenerative process of aging.
The procedures are more commonly performed to treat meniscus injury and to perform anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. [3] While knee arthroscopy is commonly used for partial meniscectomy (trimming a torn meniscus) on middle aged to older adults with knee pain, the claimed positive results seem to lack scientific evidence. [4]
However, the meniscus has poor blood supply, and, therefore, healing can be difficult. Traditionally it was thought that if there is no chance of healing, then it is best to remove the damaged and non-functional meniscus, although at least one study has shown that there is little significance if a meniscectomy is done for degenerative tear. [7]
These regenerative procedures are believed to delay osteoarthritis of injuries on the articular cartilage of the knee, by slowing down the degeneration of the joint compared to untreated damage. [2] According to Mithoefer et al. (2006), these articular cartilage repair procedures offer the best results when the intervention takes place in the ...
A discoid meniscus is a congenital anomaly of the knee found in 3% of the population (up to 15% in Asia). It typically affects the lateral meniscus and may be found bilaterally (20%). Instead of the narrow crescent shape, as seen in a normal meniscus above, a discoid meniscus is thickened, and has a fuller crescent shape.
Damage to the outer third of the meniscus has the best healing potential because of the blood supply, but the inner two thirds of the medial meniscus has a limited blood supply and thus limited healing ability. Large tears to the meniscus may require surgical repair or removal. In terms of a meniscus tear, the doctor can categorize the injury ...