Arthroscopic Meniscus Surgery

An outpatient procedure, the Arthroscopy Meniscus Surgery is done for repairing the cartilage damaged due to a torn knee. Various minimally invasive techniques are used and patients are recommended to follow all necessary precautions post-surgery to allow for complete healing.

Physical therapy helps in regaining the full functioning of the knee. The major symptoms include pain in the region of tear and swelling in the affected area. In more severe cases, the fragments of the torn meniscus can get lodged between the bearing surfaces, which can lead to locking of the knee and the knee cannot be fully bent or extended.

Primary objective of Arthroscopy Meniscus Surgery

The main goal of the surgery is to preserve healthy meniscus tissue. Healing of the meniscus tear depends on adequate blood supply. In the absence of this, meniscus removal is recommended to patients for tears in the region that are without blood supply. Arthroscopic meniscectomy is the procedure referred for this.

Advantages of the Arthroscopic Meniscus Repair

The meniscus is of utmost importance as it helps in load transmission and shock absorption in the knee. The knee can bear weight up to 5 times of body weight during activity, and half of this force is transmitted through the meniscus with the knee straight and 85% of the force goes through the meniscus with the knee bent at an angle of ninety degrees.

The torn/ loss of the meniscus raises the pressure on the articular (gliding) cartilage leading to degenerative disorders. The meniscus repair surgery not only preserves the meniscus tissue but also manages such disorders.

Surgical methods to repair Torn Meniscus

Depending on the patient’s condition, the most suitable treatment approach is adopted. This includes meniscus repair, removal of the meniscus (meniscectomy), and meniscus replacement in exceptional situations. Arthroscopic Meniscus repair is chosen when the tear is repairable.

Procedures like Meniscectomy (removal of damaged meniscus) have good results in the short run but in the later years of life, it might lead to the development of diseases such as arthritis twenty years later. On the other hand, in the long run, meniscus repair is much better although it has a longer recovery time than the meniscectomy. Further, it is limited to tears that are qualified for repair.