ORTHOPEDICS/HIP & KNEE/MENISCUS DAMAGES
Meniscus tears are a frequent knee pain cause and many people end up with arthroscopic knee surgery for their disorder.
The questions are:
Is surgery constantly compulsory?
Are all meniscus tears treated similarly?
Practically, a variety of factors is used to define the meniscus tear ideal therapy.
The patient age, the nonsurgical therapy results and other old damages had eventually occured prior to a torn meniscus… All these factors should be considered before deciding a surgery.
Furthermore, the meniscus tear specific type can define the suitable therapy.
Hereunder, are the meniscus tears six frequent types:
- Intrasubstance/Incomplete Tear:
An intrasubstance tear is an easy finding topic on an MRI report.
An intrasubstance tear classically looks normal at the surgery time and regularly are a sign of an early degenerative modifications of the meniscus tissue.
Intrasubstance meniscus tears are stable damages, and they usually do not necessitate any surgical therapy.
- Radial Tear:
the meniscus radial tears, are the meniscus tear most frequent type.
These tears are within the meniscus avascular area, where blood supply is very poor; therefore, healing is not easy.
Consequently, when these tears come to a recommended surgical therapy, classically the only alternative is to trim out the damaged portion of the meniscus.
- Horizontal Tear:
An horizontal tear is a tear that is regularly responsive to meniscus restoration.
An horizontal tear runs laterally with the meniscus circumferential fibers.
Rather than removing the damaged portion of the meniscus, an horizontal tear allows sewing together.
The key to defining an horizontal tear therapy of these tears is their position.
If these tears are situated within the meniscus vascular portion (near the outer edge) then there is probable healing. But when they are positioned more centrally, these tears will not heal easily, even if restored.
- Flap Tear:
A meniscus flap tear, , is a rare tear pattern.
In some circumstances where the flap is causing knee catching signs, typically, the meniscus flap can easily be removed without removing more tissue.
- Complex Tear:
A meniscus complex tear means there is a mixture of tear patterns.
A complex tear frequently involves both radial and horizontal tear patterns.
Characteristically, complex tears are not treated with meniscus restoration because of the tear complex nature.
- Bucket-Handle Tear:
A bucket-handle tear is a wide type of the meniscus horizontal tear.
In this case, tears regularly cause the knee sticking to become the meniscus torn to block the normal knee mobility.
Bucket-handle tears repeatedly necessitate urgent surgical therapy in order to allow the knee to restart curving.
Tears positioning
Most MRI and surgical reports will describe the tear position, in addition to describing the tear type.
Anterior horn tears are seldom shown and are situateded in the meniscus front.
Posterior horn tears are much more frequent and are situated in meniscus back.
Finally, Central tears are situated on the meniscus inner side. This is a part of the meniscus without vascular blood supply; therefore, it is not responsive to restoration.
Finally, Peripheral tears are situated further on the meniscus outside, and these are the tears kinds that can occasionally be restored.