Meniscus Surgery

Overview

Meniscus surgery is done using knee arthroscopy with two small incisions, one for a camera and one for a working instrument. If a repair is performed, additional incisions will be added as needed. The exact meniscus surgery to be performed will depend on the healing potential which depends on the type of tear, location of tear, and age of the patient. 

If there is poor healing potential for a meniscus tear then a meniscectomy is performed. During a meniscectomy, a combination of instruments are used to resect or remove the torn portion of the meniscus. The goal is to remove the minimal amount of meniscal tissue as possible while still ensuring that the torn portion is resected and a good contour achieved so as to not create a new tear. The recovery for a meniscectomy is much quicker than if a repair is performed. If a meniscectomy is performed, patients will generally not be required to wear a brace and usually do fine with home exercises.

For a meniscus repair, the torn portion of the meniscus is held in place with a type of suture to allow the patient’s body to heal the tear. A meniscus repair is only successful if there is good blood supply to the torn portion of the meniscus. After the repair, the patient will be in a brace for about 6 weeks and motion and weightbearing will be limited initially. Physical therapy will be needed to help achieve normal range of motion and return to sports will generally take about 4-6 months.

If the torn portion of the meniscus involves the root (where the meniscus attaches to the tibia), then a meniscal root repair is needed. Similar to the regular meniscus repair, this will require a brace and altered weightbearing. Meniscal root tears have a high association to arthritis progression if the root is not repaired. 

Potential Implications:

Blood loss, infection, damage to nerves or blood vessels, repair failure, arthritis progression, deep vein thrombosis (DVT), and need for additional surgery.