We often hear the following term in sports injuries called Meniscal Tear or Meniscus Tears? What are they, how do they happen, how do we know that we have a Meniscal Tear, and most importantly how do we fix them? These are all very important questions and thoughts when one is presented with a Meniscal Tear. The meniscus is primarily considered a cartilage that is used as a protective "layer" to protect your knee and your knee joints. This cartilage is also used to allow for one's body weight to consume the energy impact that is spread on one's knee. There are generally two types of Meniscus that surround the knee and knee joints. The first is called the Medial Meniscus which consumes the inner part of one's knee and the other is called the Lateral Meniscus and that is consumed by the outer portion of one's knee.
Meniscal Tears happen frequently and they are mostly seen among athletes or those who participate in contact sports. Sports which include football, basketball, tennis and soccer are the most common types of activity where Meniscal Tears are experienced. Although a variety of factors can contribute to such an injury, it most frequently occurs when the knee is planted on the ground and is then twisted in a violent or unorthodox fashion. This motion of twisting of the knee and the knee joint results in a shift of weight, thus causing a tear in the cartilage.
Although people may experience a variety of different symptoms associated with tearing their Meniscal cartilage. The most common complaint from individuals include pain and swelling around the knee area. The knee will usually be sensitive to touch and the range of motion can be limited with certain people. In addition, some people may experience sounds when extending their knee or when trying to move their knee outwards. These sounds have been reported as clicking or cracking sounds and those can sometimes be attributed to the torn Meniscal cartilage. In order to ensure that the diagnosis of such a tear is correct, it is advised to visit a health care practitioner who will normally recommend an X-Ray or an MRI to ensure the diagnosis is correct.
Once an individual is diagnosed with a Meniscal Tear, depending on the severity of the injury. Some health care practitioners will recommend surgery to ensure the cartilage is properly repaired and others may recommend physical therapy. Physical therapy can aid in getting the knee and its surrounding joints healthier and stronger. In certain cases that is all that is needed for the patient to resume normal day-to-day activities without surgical treatment. Sometimes however physical therapy does not provide the desired results and that is when surgery is required to ensure the individual recovers completely from the tear.
Please make sure to consult your doctor, this article is strictly for information purposes only.
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