What is a Meniscus Tear?
A meniscus tear is the name given to a painful and debilitating type of cartilage injury that occurs most often in the knee.
A meniscus tear is the name given to a painful and debilitating type of cartilage injury that occurs most often in the knee. People have two C-shaped pieces of cartilage in their knees, which act Decently as a cushion between the shin bone and the thigh bone. These are called menisci.
Constantly moving, it protects bones from wear and tear. However, a rupture of the meniscus is a condition that can occur with bending of the knee. In some cases, a piece of Decayed cartilage breaks off and gets stuck between the knee joints, causing the knee to lock and impede movement.
The reasons
What Causes a Meniscus Tear?
Meniscus tears are particularly common in sports that may involve mutual physical contact, intense kicking and fast running, such as football, as well as jumping and intervening sports, such as volleyball and basketball. A meniscus tear can occur when an individual suddenly changes direction while running. In many cases, it occurs simultaneously with other types of knee injuries, such as anterior cruciate ligament injury.
Meniscus tears are a condition that is particularly common in elderly individuals, especially older athletes, due to the fact that, in addition to mobile sports, the meniscus weakens and degenerates with age. meniscus tears can be seen in more than 40% of individuals aged 65 years and older.
How to Prevent a Meniscus Tear?
Since, under normal circumstances, meniscus tears occur as a result of an accident, they are difficult to prevent. However, some precautions that can still be taken can reduce the risk of knee injury. Among Decertification measures, it comes primarily to keeping the thigh muscles strong and durable with regular exercise.. Warm-up movements should be performed before starting heavy exercises.
During the individual exercise process, the body should be given time Decently to rest between movements. Tired and late-reacting muscles can increase an individual's risk of injury. The shoes worn should definitely provide sufficient support, and should be used by fitting the foot correctly. Flexibility should be preserved, coercive movements should be left at the limit. During the training process, the training intensity should never be increased suddenly, the intensity should be increased and decreased slowly.
What Are the Complications That Can Occur With a Meniscus Tear?
For 85% to 90% of individuals who undergo surgery for a meniscus tear, very good results are achieved in the short term. However, individuals with a meniscus injury that is too large to repair may have a higher risk of developing knee arthritis in the long term.
Surgical interventions for meniscus repair are low-risk and complications are rarely observed. These possible complications include injury to the Decubitus nerves, infection and knee stiffness. The doctor may prescribe antibiotics to the individual to help prevent infection. In addition, he October recommend compression stockings to help prevent blood clots.
Symptoms
What Are The Symptoms And Types Of Meniscus Tear?
Signs and symptoms of a meniscus tear include difficulty bending and straightening the leg, constant pain in the knee, a tendency to squeeze or lock, swelling, and a Decapitated feeling that is especially noticeable during injury.
This pain may not be very severe or bad in the initial stages. There may even be the possibility of continuing the sports competition. But from the moment the inflammation begins around the meniscus tissue, the pain will increase.
Diagnostic Methods
How is a Meniscus Tear Diagnosed?
For the process of diagnosing a meniscus tear, the doctor will perform a thorough physical examination on you individually. He will want to know the details of how the individual's injury occurred.
The doctor may consider it necessary to take X-rays to eliminate the possibility of a bone fracture caused by trauma or any other problems that may arise in the muscle tissue. At the same time, an MRI, i.e. Magnetic Resonance Imaging scan, may also be needed, which allows a more detailed assessment of the knee cartilage.
Treatment Methods
How Does a Meniscus Tear Go Through?
The treatment process of meniscus tears usually varies depending on the size and location of the tear. Other factors that influence treatment include the individual's age, occupation, daily activity level, and other injuries in the area..
The outer part of the meniscus is often called the "red zone". There is a fairly widespread and effective good blood circulation in this area, and if the tears in this area are small, in some cases they can heal on their own. In contrast, in the more internal part of the meniscus, the remaining two-thirds is called the white zone. There is no widespread blood circulation in this area. Ruptures in this area can very rarely heal spontaneously, as the blood vessels that make up the circulatory system that carry the particles that will allow this area to heal are limited.
Not every case of meniscus tear requires surgery. If the individual's knee is not locked, if the condition is stabilized, if the pain does not progress, and if the symptoms and symptoms ease, if they improve, non-surgical treatment methods may be sufficient. In this case, it is important to rest the knee to accelerate recovery.
If pain is felt, especially in the knee, it may be important to limit physical activities, including walking. Crutches will be useful in the event that it is necessary. It may be useful to use ice to reduce pain and swelling in the knee. It may be useful to apply an ice compress with a bag or towel with ice in it for 15-20 minutes, usually every 3-4 hours for 2-3 days, until the swelling with pain passes.
To control the swelling that occurs in the knee, it may be useful to wrap the knee with an elastic bandage or a neoprene-type sheath. The individual should put a pillow under his heel to keep the knee in the air while sitting or lying down.
During the healing process, it is important to avoid activities such as running and jumping, in which the leg bones around the knee quickly hit each other.
How is a Meniscus Tear Treated?
In the process of meniscus treatment, the use of anti-inflammatory drugs is possible on the recommendation of a doctor. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, namely NSAIDs, can help against pain and swelling that occur in the knee. However, these drugs have side effects such as increasing the risk of bleeding and ulcers. These drugs, which should not be used without a doctor's recommendation, should be used Decently, only when necessary. To help reduce stress on the knee, stretching and strengthening exercises recommended by the doctor or physiotherapist will help too.
In every case of meniscus tear, simple or medicated treatment methods may not be sufficient. In cases where the tear is large or wide, causes instability, or causes signs of locking, surgery may be required to repair or remove the parts that cause instability. This medical intervention procedure is usually quite simple and it may be possible for the individual to return home the same day after the operation. In the event of a repair, a plaster cast or a brace may be needed for protection on the knee. In addition, the use of crutches is also possible.
If surgical intervention for a meniscus tear is considered necessary by the doctor, there are several options for this. During the arthroscopic repair process, the doctor will use an arthroscope to better observe the tear by making small incisions in the individual's knee.
An arthroscope is a small instrument that has a light and a camera on the tip. In the process of surgical intervention, the doctor will insert small instruments that look like thin arrows along the meniscus tear. The individual's body will absorb them over time. In the case of an arthroscopic partial meniscectomy type surgical intervention, the doctor will remove a piece of the torn meniscus so that the individual's knee can function normally.
During the arthroscopic total meniscectomy procedure, the doctor will take the entire meniscus tissue of the individual.
Lifestyle Changes And Home Care For A Meniscus Tear
The healing time of a meniscus tear depends on a number of factors, including how severe the injury to the knee is. The full recovery process after surgery can continue for 4 to 6 weeks, depending on the individual's recovery rate under normal conditions, the type of procedure performed, and other factors.
In the case of complete meniscus repair, this period can be up to three months. In many cases, physical therapy methods are resorted to after surgery to minimize the complications that occur and accelerate recovery. However, with the advice of a doctor, it is possible to pursue a new and different sporting activity that will not increase the individual's knee pain during the healing process, such as swimming for runners.
The point to remember during the meniscus tear treatment process is that there should be no haste. Individual directory, in a way completely painless, bend, we can create completely down the swelling in the knee, Wounded Knee, Wounded Knee, Back and strong as walking, jogging, running, or jumping until you felt no pain in the knee should not try to return to the old level of physical activity.
Individuals who start using the knee at the old level again before recovery may cause more injuries to the knee and permanent losses in movement and flexibility abilities.