Imaging tests
- X-rays. Because a torn meniscus is made of cartilage, it won't show up on X-rays. But X-rays can help rule out other problems with the knee that cause similar symptoms.
- MRI. This uses a strong magnetic field to produce detailed images of both hard and soft tissues within your knee. It's the best imaging study to detect a torn meniscus.
How to conduct 7 easy torn meniscus tests?
How to conduct 7 easy torn meniscus tests? Test 7: The McMurray’s Test Lie down flat on your back with your legs fully flexed Have your friend flex your affected knee to a 90-degree angle If any pain is experienced or you hear an audible click when performing the test, you have a positive result.
How to diagnose torn meniscus?
You might develop the following signs and symptoms in your knee:
- A popping sensation
- Swelling or stiffness
- Pain, especially when twisting or rotating your knee
- Difficulty straightening your knee fully
- Feeling as though your knee is locked in place when you try to move it
- Feeling of your knee giving way
What should I expect from meniscus surgery?
Your doctor might choose to do any of the following:
- Arthroscopic repair. Your doctor will make small cuts in your knee. They’ll insert an arthroscope to get a good look at the tear. ...
- Arthroscopic partial meniscectomy. Your doctor will remove a piece of the torn meniscus so your knee can function normally.
- Arthroscopic total meniscectomy. During this procedure, your doctor will remove the whole meniscus.
How to tell meniscus tear?
To detect a medial Meniscus tear:
- Stand with your knees 30-40 cm apart
- Fully extend your knees as you stand
- Align your feet so that your heels are facing each other
- Squat up to 90 degrees if you can
- Slowly stand up again
How do you assess the meniscus?
The current standard used to assess for the presence of meniscal tears is to palpate along the joint line while applying a varus or valgus stress to the knee. It is important to feel for associated crepitation within the joint when performing this and also check if the patient has any pain with this maneuver.
What are the 2 test for meniscus?
Steinman test is done to diagnose meniscal pathology at the knee joint. The test is divided into 2 parts i.e Steinman part 1 and Steinman part 2 or Steinman's tenderness displacement test. This test is useful to distinguish meniscal pathology from injury to the ligament or osteophytes.
How do you check for medial meniscus?
To test for a suspected medial meniscus tear (on the inner side of the knee), you'll be asked to turn your toes outward, externally rotating the knee. You'll then squat and slowly stand back up. The person who examines your knee will be on the alert for a clicking sound or feeling.
What are 3 signs of a meniscus tear in the knee?
SymptomsA popping sensation.Swelling or stiffness.Pain, especially when twisting or rotating your knee.Difficulty straightening your knee fully.Feeling as though your knee is locked in place when you try to move it.Feeling of your knee giving way.
How do you screen for a meniscus tear?
One of the main tests for meniscus tears is the McMurray test. Your doctor will bend your knee, then straighten and rotate it. This puts tension on a torn meniscus. If you have a meniscus tear, this movement may cause pain, clicking, or a clunking sensation within the joint.
Can a torn meniscus heal on its own?
In the case of meniscus tears, some people think the injury will heal over time on its own. But the truth is that there are different types of meniscus tears — and some tears won't heal without treatment. If your tear is on the outer one-third of the meniscus, it may heal on its own or be repaired surgically.
How does a torn meniscus feel?
Individuals with a meniscus tear often complain of pain along the joint line. They often have pain or weakness with bending the knee and sometimes they have a catching or locking sensation. With an acute tear, individuals may notice a lot of swelling in the knee and often report that they heard or felt a pop.
How do they fix a torn meniscus?
Surgery is a very effective way to repair a torn meniscus. If the tear is too big to repair, your surgeon may remove all or part of the meniscus. After recovery, your knee will be more stable, and you'll be less likely to develop additional knee problems.
Where is pain with torn meniscus?
Symptoms of a meniscus tear may be different for each person, but some of the most common symptoms are: Pain in the knee joint: usually on the inside (medial), outside (lateral) or back of the knee. Swelling. Catching or locking of the knee joint.
Can you walk on a torn meniscus?
A torn meniscus usually produces well-localized pain in the knee. The pain often is worse during twisting or squatting motions. Unless the torn meniscus has locked the knee, many people with a torn meniscus can walk, stand, sit, and sleep without pain.
Will walking on a torn meniscus make it worse?
The injury won't heal on its own, which means it may continue getting worse without proper care. For example, a partial tear may continue to worsen until it's a complete tear. Continuing to walk on the affected leg can aggravate your symptoms, making pain and stiffness worse in as little as a few days.
Will a knee brace help a torn meniscus?
Will a knee brace help a torn meniscus? Yes. Although knee braces do not heal or treat your meniscus tear directly, they can provide extra support and stability for your knee while your meniscus injury heals. A good brace will protect your knee and take the pressure off your meniscus, allowing it to rest.
What may occur if the meniscus goes untreated?
An untreated meniscus tear can result in the frayed edge getting caught in the joint, causing pain and swelling. It can also result in long term knee problems such as arthritis and other soft tissue damage.
How long does it take for a torn meniscus to heal without surgery?
Meniscus tears are the most frequently treated knee injuries. Recovery will take about 6 to 8 weeks if your meniscus tear is treated conservatively, without surgery. If your symptoms persist after 3 months or your symptoms become significant, your doctor may recommend surgery to repair the tear.
Does a torn meniscus hurt all the time?
Do all meniscus tears hurt? Yes, at some point in time most all meniscus tears will hurt. But that doesn't mean they will hurt for a long time. In many cases the pain from a meniscus tear will either improve significantly or go away without surgery.
Does torn meniscus pain come and go?
Symptoms may go away but can come back from overuse or when you do activities that involve twisting. The pain may come and go over a period of years if the tear isn't treated. Larger tears usually cause more pain and immediate swelling and stiffness. Pieces of the torn meniscus can float into the joint space.
How do you do the McMurray test?
McMurray's test is performed with the patient supine and relaxed. The examiner grasps the patient's heel with one hand and the joint line of the knee with the other hand. The knee is flexed maximally, with external tibial rotation (medial meniscus) or internal tibial rotation (lateral meniscus).
Which special tests are best for ruling in a meniscus tear?
Ege's Test and the Thessaly Test,6-7 tests that have either compression with weight bearing or clinician-applied axial rotation, were found to have the strongest diagnostic accuracy, but with smaller samples in the studies.
What is the Thessaly test?
The Thessaly test is a dynamic reproduction of joint loading in the knee and the theory behind the test is that the knee with a meniscal tear will produce the same symptoms the patient reported.
How do I know if I tore my MCL or meniscus?
meniscal injury: how can you tell? Generally, an MCL injury occurs at the top attachment to the femur. So, pain and swelling are above the joint line. On the other hand, a medial meniscal tear causes pain in the medial joint line below the top attachment of the MCL.
How You Can Tear Your Meniscus ?
The meniscus is a piece of cartilage that acts like a cushion between your thigh and shin bones. Each knee has two menisci joints. Meniscus tears are one of the most common injuries during activities that involve putting pressure on the knee or rotating the knee. ( 1)
Conclusion
Although doing these torn meniscus tests doesn’t make you and I doctors, they can at least give us an idea of what we are dealing with.
Diagnosis
A torn meniscus often can be identified during a physical exam. Your doctor might move your knee and leg into different positions, watch you walk and ask you to squat to help pinpoint the cause of your signs and symptoms.
Treatment
Treatment for a torn meniscus often begins conservatively, depending on the type, size and location of your tear.
Lifestyle and home remedies
Avoid activities that aggravate your knee pain — especially sports that involve pivoting or twisting your knee — until the pain disappears. Ice and over-the-counter pain relievers can be helpful.
Preparing for your appointment
The pain and disability associated with a torn meniscus prompt many people to seek emergency care. Others make an appointment with their family doctors. Depending upon the severity of your injury, you might be referred to a doctor specializing in sports medicine or a specialist in bone and joint surgery (orthopedic surgeon).
Nonsurgical treatment
A doctor may recommend one of the following nonsurgical treatment options for people who do not experience persistent symptoms or symptoms of knee locking or swelling:
Surgical treatment
If nonsurgical methods do not alleviate a person’s symptoms, a doctor may suggest arthroscopic surgery. This procedure involves inserting a miniature camera and tiny surgical instruments through two or three small incisions in the knee to repair or trim a meniscus tear.
Initial routine
A person’s initial exercise routine may include an exercise called hamstring contractions. To perform this exercise, a person should do the following:
Intermediate routine
An intermediate exercise routine may include straight leg raises. To perform this exercise, a person should follow these steps:
Advanced routine
An advanced exercise routine may include an exercise that involves partially bending the knee. To perform this exercise, a person should do the following:
What is a meniscus tear?
The menisci sit between the tibia (lower leg bone) and the femur (thigh bone) and protect the lower part of the leg from the shock created by our body weight. The medial meniscus sits on the inside of the knee and the lateral meniscus sits on the outside of the knee.
What are the symptoms of a meniscus tear?
Symptoms of a meniscus tear may be different for each person, but some of the most common symptoms are:
How is a meniscus tear diagnosed?
If a meniscal tear is suspected, your orthopedist will conduct a thorough health history and evaluation of the knee and may also order X-rays and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to confirm the diagnosis and further evaluate the knee joint:
Treatment for a meniscus tear
Specific treatment for a meniscus tear will be determined by your doctor based on:
Modified or Weight-Bearing McMurray's Test
Jonathan Cluett, MD, is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon with subspecialty training in sports medicine and arthroscopic surgery.
What Is Ege's Test?
Ege's test was developed by Dr. Ridvan Ege in 1968. When a meniscus tear is suspected, this test might be used to help decide whether the tear might need surgery. 1
How Ege's Test Is Performed
In an Ege's test, you will stand with your knees straight and feet about a foot apart (30 to 40 centimeters).
What Is the Best Test?
Studies have looked at all three tests for detecting a meniscus tear. No one test was significantly better than the others. In one review of studies, the authors found that a combination of the tests was most useful for diagnosing a meniscus tear. An MRI can also be helpful in determining the presence and extent of a meniscus tear. 1
Summary
Ege's test helps diagnose a meniscus tear in the knee. It involves putting weight on the knee in a squatting position under the guidance of a healthcare professional. Pain or a clicking noise may indicate a meniscus tear. Your doctor may use other tests as well, including an MRI to confirm a diagnosis.
Introduction to the Knee Exam
Careful examination of the knee can provide valuable information and help the physician determine when imaging studies may or may not be helpful.
Knee Exam Technique
Inspection: Observe both knees together. Note any asymmetry of the joint or quadriceps muscles.
Consult the Expert
Dr. Mark Genovese is certified in rheumatology and is actively involved in house staff training at Stanford University. He is involved in research including clinical trials and interventions in rheumatic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, & osteoarthritis.
Noble Test
In the noble test is done placing the knee with some flexion while patient is supine. Next place the thumb over the iliotibial band before its insertion to the lateral femoral condyle (as noted in image). While placing pressure with your thumb, attempt to extend the leg, looking for pain under your thumb.
Ober Test
In the Ober test you are looking for a tight iliotibial band. To conduct the Ober test, place your patient on his or her lateral side with the painful side facing up. Next, place your hand under the lower part of leg and bring the whole leg posterior (as in image below).
Overview
The meniscus is a C-shaped piece of tough, rubbery cartilage that acts as a shock absorber between your shinbone and thighbone. It can be torn if you suddenly twist your knee while bearing weight on it.
Symptoms
If you've torn your meniscus, you might have the following signs and symptoms in your knee:
Causes
A torn meniscus can result from any activity that causes you to forcefully twist or rotate your knee, such as aggressive pivoting or sudden stops and turns. Even kneeling, deep squatting or lifting something heavy can sometimes lead to a torn meniscus.
Risk factors
Performing activities that involve aggressive twisting and pivoting of the knee puts you at risk of a torn meniscus. The risk is particularly high for athletes — especially those who participate in contact sports, such as football, or activities that involve pivoting, such as tennis or basketball.
Complications
A torn meniscus can lead to a feeling of your knee giving way, inability to move your knee normally or persistent knee pain. You might be more likely to develop osteoarthritis in the injured knee.
General inspection
Perform a brief general inspection of the patient, looking for clinical signs suggestive of underlying pathology:
Closer inspection of the knees
Ask the patient to stand and turn in 90° increments as you inspect the knee joints from each angle for evidence of pathology.
Gait
Ask the patient to walk to the end of the examination room and then turn and walk back whilst you observe their gait paying attention to:
Inspection with the patient on the bed
Ask the patient to lay down on the clinical examination couch, with the headrest positioned at a 45° angle for the next part of the assessment.
Temperature
With the patient still positioned supine on the clinical examination couch, with the headrest at a 45° angle, simultaneously assess and compare knee joint temperature using the back of your hands.
Measurement of quadriceps bulk
Quadriceps wasting is commonly associated with knee joint pathology occurring secondary to disuse atrophy. Wasting will often be apparent on inspection, however subtle wasting may only be detectable by comparative measurement of leg circumference.
Palpation of the extended knee
With the patient’s leg straight and relaxed, systematically palpate the joint lines and surrounding structures of each knee joint.
Diagnosis
- A torn meniscus often can be identified during a physical exam. Your doctor might move your knee and leg into different positions, watch you walk, and ask you to squat to help pinpoint the cause of your signs and symptoms.
Treatment
- Treatment for a torn meniscus often begins conservatively, depending on the type, size and location of your tear. Tears associated with arthritis often improve over time with treatment of the arthritis, so surgery usually isn't indicated. Many other tears that aren't associated with locking or a block to knee motion will become less painful over time, so they also don't require surgery. Yo…
Lifestyle and Home Remedies
- Avoid activities that aggravate your knee pain — especially sports that involve pivoting or twisting your knee — until the pain disappears. Ice and over-the-counter pain relievers can be helpful.
Preparing For Your Appointment
- The pain and disability associated with a torn meniscus prompt many people to seek emergency care. Others make an appointment with their family doctors. Depending upon the severity of your injury, you might be referred to a doctor specializing in sports medicine or a specialist in bone and joint surgery (orthopedic surgeon).