Treatment

If the injury is minor and the pain and other symptoms go away, the doctor will recommend an exercise program to strengthen the muscles. The exercises are performed for meniscal problems initially under the supervision of a doctor or therapist. The therapist will ensure that the patient does the exercises properly without risk of a new injury. The following exercises are designed to build up the thigh muscles and increase flexibility:

• Warming up the joint by riding a bike, stretching exercises and then lift the leg

• Foot expansion of upright posture (can be placed a little weight on the ankle for this exercise)

• In prone, execute lifting movements of the foot

• Exercises in the pool, including fast paced water chest, lifting each leg 90 back against the wall of the basin.

If the tear is extensive, the doctor may perform surgery or arthroscopy to assess lesion severity and repair. The doctor can suture the meniscus at relatively young patients, if the lesion is in an well vascularized area and ligaments are intact. Most young athletes can perform vigorous sports activities after meniscus repair.

Elderly patients or if the tear is in an area poorly vascularized, the doctor will resect a small portion of the meniscus, to smooth the surface. In some cases, the doctor will resect the entire meniscus. However, degenerative rheumatism, such as osteoarthritis, shows a higher risk of development if the meniscus is removed entirely. Doctors researchers investigating a procedure whereby the meniscus is replaced with a meniscus from a cadaver (allograft). A graft meniscus is fragile and can break easily and shrink. Researchers have tried with artificial meniscus replacement, but the procedure also had less successful than allograft.

Rehabilitation after surgery to repair the meniscus lasts several weeks and postoperative activity is more restricted than for total resection of the meniscus. However, the exercises increase healing. Whatever type of surgery, rehabilitation include walking, flexion and extension exercises for knee and thigh muscle strengthening exercises. The best results of treatment for meniscal injury are obtained in patients without changes and without damage of the articular cartilage anterior and intact cruciate ligament.