Meniscal Tears: The Knee Injury That Can Sideline Anyone
Whether you’re watching NFL preseason, college football kickoffs, international soccer matches, or high school games under the Friday night lights, one injury keeps making headlines: meniscus tears. As athletes of all levels take the field this season, it’s a term you’re likely to hear often. But it’s not just athletes who are at risk—this common knee injury can happen to anyone, including people who don’t play sports at all.
According to Dr. Dante Marconi, orthopedic surgeon with Shore Physicians Group, the menisci are two C-shaped piece of cartilage in each knee that act like a shock absorbers between the thighbone and shinbone. “You have one on the inner side and one on the outer side of the knee,” he said. “They help cushion and stabilize the joint, especially during twisting or pivoting motions.”
In younger, active people, meniscal tears are often the result of sudden, forceful movement—think cutting on the soccer field or changing direction quickly during a football play. But in older adults, meniscal tears can occur from something as simple as standing up awkwardly from a chair or squatting to reach for something on a low shelf. Degenerative tears related to arthritis are especially common as we age.
“Sometimes it’s a pop that the person feels right away,” said Dr. Marconi. “Other times, it shows up as joint line pain, especially with twisting or bending. Deep squats or getting up from a seated position might become painful.” The injury is confirmed with an MRI.
There are many types of tears—vertical, horizontal, or radial—all of which refer to the direction and location of the damage within the meniscus. One key factor for healing is blood supply. The outer edge has some circulation and might heal on its own, but most tears happen in the inner portion, where blood supply is poor and healing without surgery is unlikely.
In those cases, surgical repair is often the best option. “We use small arthroscopic tools and sutures to bring the torn edges together,” explained Dr. Marconi. “It’s outpatient surgery, so people are home the same day.”
With meniscal repairs, recovery includes partial weightbearing for about a month, a gradual rehab process, and no deep knee bending for three months. Most people return to full activity—including sports—within six months. For degenerative type meniscal tears, sometimes only shaving out the injured portion can be indicated. Recovery is much less as there are no weightbearing restrictions afterwards.
Dr. Marconi also incorporates platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy into many repairs to boost healing. “We take a small amount of the patient’s blood, spin it down to concentrate the platelets, and inject it at the site of the repair,” he said. “There’s now solid orthopedic evidence that PRP improves healing for meniscus tears.”
Time matters. “You want to address the tear early, ideally within the acute phase after injury,” Marconi said. “The longer you wait, the harder it is to get a good repair—and the higher the risk that the tear will worsen.”
So whether you’re a high school athlete, a weekend warrior, or just someone who knelt down the wrong way and felt something pop—know that meniscal tears are treatable. With expert care and timely intervention, most patients can return to the activities they love.
Dr. Dante Marconi treats patients at Shore Physicians Group’s Orthopaedic Division offices located at 710 Centre Street, 2nd Floor in Somers Point, NJ, and 4450 East Black Horse Pike, Mays Landing, NJ. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Marconi, call 609-365-6280.
