🏥 Meniscus Tear

What It Is

The menisci are two cartilage “pads” in the knee joint (lateral and medial) that distribute weight and stabilize the joint. They can tear both from acute injuries (when twisting during movement, squatting with weight) and from age-related wear — “degenerative” tears are common at an older age and can occur without a clear injury.

🔍 Symptoms

• Pain along the medial or lateral line of the knee, often felt deeper.
• Locking — the knee cannot be fully extended (“something is blocking it”).
• Catching, “clicking,” a feeling that the knee is “unreliable.”
• Swelling, especially after injury within 12–24 hours.
• Pain when twisting, squatting, or climbing stairs.

🩺 What Is Worth Knowing About Diagnosis

• A clinical examination is more important than a single test; the doctor performs special tests.
• MRI often shows “degenerative” changes that may cause no pain at all — therefore they must be correlated with symptoms, not with the image.
• “Incidental findings” on tests are common: some people without pain have meniscal changes.
• Therefore, the decision is made by a specialist based on function and pain, not on a test alone.

🛠️ Treatment Pathways

Important: meniscus surgery is not “mandatory” — for many people, conservative treatment with exercise helps (see recovery methods).

🏋️ Rehabilitation Principles

1. Control swelling (cold, elevated leg) — see ice or heat.
2. Restore range of motion — through a gradually increasing range without pain.
3. Strength: quadriceps, glutes, trunk — they protect the joint during movement.
4. Movement control exercises: landing, change of direction, balance (see balance exercises).
5. Return while reducing protective measures and, if needed, adjusting sport-specific technique.

Treatment and rehabilitation decisions require the opinion of a specialist (doctor, physiotherapist) — it is not worth “testing” the knee with weights on your own.