Gurgaon Knee & Shoulder Clinic
Knee Replacement Arthroscopy Sports Injury
Small Key hole Incisions for Arthroscopy.
Knee Arthroscopy Surgery
Video of Arthroscopic Meniscus Resection for a tear.
"I am from Kenya and was operated by a team of doctors from Columbia Asia led by Dr. Arora on 22 July 2012. They did a Total Hip Replacement following destruction of my hip due t..."
Hannah W. Gitonga
Satisfied Client
"I have been a patient in several hospitals and I have to say that Columbia Asia hospital comes one of the top International Hospitals, for care and considerations. This includes..."
Ahmed Ali Elmi from Somalia
Knee replacement surgery
"After learning that I would need to undergo surgery for meniscus tear, Dr. Jayant was an obvious choice for me as my wife had already been operated by him few months. ..."
Pawan Sharma
Meniscus Injury Treatment in Gurgaon
Meniscal tears are among the most common knee injuries. Athletes, particularly those who play contact sports, are at risk for meniscal tears. However, anyone at any age can tear a meniscus. When people talk about torn cartilage in the knee, they are usually referring to a torn meniscus.
Two wedge-shaped pieces of cartilage act as "shock absorbers" between your thighbone and shinbone. These are called meniscus. They are tough and rubbery to help cushion the joint and keep it stable.
Symptoms of an Injured Meniscus
In sports, a meniscus tear usually happens suddenly. Severe pain and swelling may occur up to 24 hours afterward. Walking can become difficult. Additional pain may be felt when flexing or twisting the knee. A loose piece of cartilage can get stuck in the joint, causing the knee to temporarily lock, preventing full extension of the leg.
If you have a torn meniscus, you may:
- Be unable to extend your leg comfortably and may feel better when your knee is bent (flexed).
- Develop pain gradually along the meniscus and joint line when you put stress on your knees (usually during a repeated activity). This most often happens when the tear develops over a period of time.
- Have swelling, stiffness or tightness in your knee.
A meniscus tear can occur when the knee is suddenly twisted while the foot is planted on the ground. A tear can also develop slowly as the meniscus loses resiliency. In this case, a portion may break off, leaving frayed edges.
Diagnosis of a Meniscus tear
A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan is often used to diagnose meniscal injuries. The meniscus shows up as black on the MRI. Any tears appear as white lines. An MRI is 70 to 90% accurate in identifying whether the meniscus has been torn and how badly. However, meniscus tears do not always appear on MRIs.
Meniscus tears, indicated by MRI, are classified in three grades. Grades 1 and 2 are not considered serious. They may not even be apparent with an arthroscopic examination. Grade 3 is a true meniscus tear and an arthroscope is close to 100% accurate in diagnosing this tear.
Treatment of Meniscus tears
Treatment of the tear will depend on the type of tear you have, its size, and location.
The outside one-third of the meniscus has a rich blood supply. A tear in this "red" zone may heal on its own, or can often be repaired with surgery.
In contrast, the inner two-thirds of the meniscus lacks a blood supply. Without nutrients from blood, tears in this "white" zone cannot heal and the torn or injured part of meniscus has t be removed.
Along with the type of tear you have, your age, activity level, and any related injuries will factor into your treatment plan.
Simple, less painful tears can be treated without surgery and with PRP injections.
But for most grade 3 tears Arthroscopic Surgery is needed.
- Meniscus repair. Some meniscal tears (approximately 30-40%) can be repaired by suturing (stitching) the torn pieces together. Whether a tear can be successfully treated with repair depends upon the type of tear, as well as the overall condition of the injured meniscus.and time when patient seeks treatment. Meniscus repair is preferred over removal whenever possible as it restores the knee to pre-injury condition.
- Menisectomy--- In some cases the meniscus tear is badly crushed and not repairable, especially if patients ignore the i jury and knee pain and present late for treatment. In these circumstances the torn portion of the meniscus may have to be removed. Meniscus removal predisposes the knee to development of late arthritis, especially in a young athlete, and hence we make every attempt to save the injured meniscus.
Rehabilitation.
Meniscus removal surgery is a quick straight forward procedure that usually taken a few minutes. It can be done as a day care surgery i.e. you do not need to stay in the hospital overnight, but some patients may stay in the hospital for 24 hours due to insurance compliance. Patients are able to walk independently with/without a crutch within a few hours after meniscus trimming. Most of the patients are fully recovered in 2-3 weeks and resume all normal activities.
If you have had a meniscus repair procedure, you will need to use crutches for about a month to keep weight off of your knee.