Meniscus tears are one of the most common types of knee injuries among seniors and athletes. Approximately a million Americans tear their meniscus every year. The sooner you treat your torn meniscus, the better. Even though meniscus tears share certain symptoms with knee injuries, a torn meniscus has a few unique signs that you should know. With the help of a skilled orthopedic surgeon, you can treat a meniscus tear los angeles.
However, before visiting an orthopedist, you should know the most important things about meniscus tears. Keep reading this post to learn the same. Let’s dive in.
What is the Meniscus?
Your leg’s two main bones, the tibia and femur, meet at the patella, the kneecap bone. The meniscus, a cartilage piece, sits as a kind of shock absorber between the tibia and femur. The menisci maintain your knee stability and help in passing weight from one bone to another.
Types of Meniscus Tears
Meniscus tears are of two types – acute and degenerative. Many young athletes suffer from acute tears occurring from sudden trauma to the knees, like twisting. Elderly people tend to get degenerative tears. The meniscus gradually wears down from the work done in cushioning the knee cap.
Common Risk Factors of Meniscus Tear
For athletes, forced twisting or rotation is the most common cause of a meniscus tear. It can arise in a non-contact injury, like when a basketball player cuts the court or slide handling in soccer during a contact injury. Deep squatting, kneeling, and picking up heavy objects with knees cause a tear in non-athletes. Meniscus tears may occur with no or little trauma in older adults. Getting out of a chair or wrongly stepping on a curb may cause injuries.
Symptoms
The symptoms of minor tears are mild pain and swelling. Moderate and deep tears tend to be more painful and have other symptoms, such as high swelling, locking/catching of the knee joint, stiffness, limping, and incapability of fully extending/bending the knee joint.
The Bottomline
Now, you know the most important things about meniscus tears. Consult an orthopedic surgeon in Los Angeles if you see any of the symptoms above. They can make a treatment plan for minor tears and treat critical tears. With the right treatment and surgery, you can get rid of meniscus tears.