The meniscus is cartilage that cushions the space between the thigh bone and the shin. The meniscus is important because it acts as a shock absorber, lubricates the knee joint and helps balance weight evenly across the knee.
There are two main causes of meniscus tears:
Traumatic injury –This happens most often during athletic activities.
Degenerative process – This occurs naturally as people age and the cartilage in the knee becomes brittle.
If the Kennedy Center specialists determine that you have a torn meniscus, they typically recommend arthroscopic surgery to resector repairthe torn cartilage. During a resection, the surgeon will remove the torn tissue and save the healthy meniscus. During a meniscus repair, the surgeon will sew the torn tissue together to allow it to heal.
It’s important to have your knee evaluated by a specialist because without surgery, the meniscus will continue to tear and damage the surrounding healthy knee.
“Knee pain forced to be inactive for so many years, but now I feel like I have a new life!” – Vicki, Kennedy Center Knee patient
