At Cedars-Sinai Marina del Rey Hospital, our highly regarded staff knows how inconvenient a meniscus injury can be. This is why we are ready to perform any procedures necessary in a safe and professional environment.
Because of old age or injuries, the meniscus may suffer some damages or displacement. In these cases, the patient may feel pain and stiffness in the knee area. If there are no alternatives, the doctors may propose a meniscus repair procedure.
The menisci are crescent-shaped cartilage that are attached to the femur and the tibia. Their main roles are to absorb shock, disperse weight, and reduce friction when the knees move. Because of old age or injuries to the knee, some people may tear their menisci. This will result in leg stiffness, swelling, and pain.
If the injury is not severe, the usual treatment consists of pain medication, relaxation of the knee, and physical therapy. If these do not relieve the pain, surgery may be required.
There are a number of different meniscus repair procedures. All of them are done while the patient is under general anesthesia.
The surgeon uses arthroscopic surgery, which is a minimally invasive procedure, done with small incisions and long, thin tools.
Every procedure will start with the doctor making small cuts around the knee and inserting an arthroscope, a small thin camera, into the incision so he can have a better look at your joint.
After this, he has a number of different procedures to choose from to repair a torn meniscus.
He can use a device to stitch the tear in the meniscus, he can remove the part of the meniscus that popped out of the joint, or, in some rare cases, he can completely remove the cartilage.
The surgery is over when the incisions are stitched and the wound is bandaged.
A patient can benefit greatly from getting one of these procedures:
- The patient will regain the full range of motion in his knee
- The patient will stop suffering from pain in the knee
- The patient will be able to participate in sports again
- The patient will be able to walk normally again
- The day-to-day comfort level will improve greatly for the patient
These types of surgical procedures are minimally invasive, so the recovery time isn’t long. Usually, the patient can leave the hospital on the same day as the surgery. For at least a month, he will have to wear a brace and use crutches in order to avoid putting too much pressure on the knee. In order to increase the range of motion and speed up recovery time, physical therapy will be recommended. Typically, a patient can return to participate in athletic activities 4-5 months after the surgery.
Meniscus repair procedures involve very little risks. Rare cases of complications include infection of the wound and bleeding, damage to the nerves and blood vessels in the knees, and knee stiffness.