The menisci are C-shaped bands of cartilage that run along the top of the knee. These rubbery pieces of tissue help the joint to smoothly move and withstand constant stress from bending, running, and walking. A torn meniscus can make it hard to move your knee, and your knee may feel like it is stiff or locked into place. There is often a lot of pain, especially when you are moving the knee, and sometimes you can hear a popping or grinding noise. The area may look swollen or feel slightly warm to the touch. In mild cases, the torn meniscus can heal on its own. If the tear is very small, your doctor might just recommend that you rest, take over the counter painkillers, and ice it to bring down swelling.
However, most people need physical therapy. Some may even end up requiring surgery. A surgical treatment can reattach the meniscus or remove anything obstructing the joint, and it is typically needed for those who are still dealing with pain after rehab. Since dealing with a torn meniscus is so tough, it is important to avoid doing things that could tear it. There are many different causes of a torn meniscus.
1. Sudden Pivoting of the knee
This is the primary cause of a torn meniscus. Almost all tears happen when the knee joint is forcefully twisted or hyper-flexed, so any sudden pivoting can be problematic. This type of motion tends to occur when a person twists to one side or the other while placing a lot of their weight on the knee. It can happen during sporting events. Things like tennis, soccer, and basketball that involve a lot of sharp turns while running are particularly likely to cause meniscus tears. In some cases, the pivot can occur when a person has an accident that forces the knee to pivot sharply.
However, a person does not have to be doing anything extraordinarily active to have a meniscus tear happen while pivoting the knee. It can occur when you are doing something simple like turning to talk to someone or rounding a corner. The cartilage in the knee degrades with age, so seniors are particularly likely to get a torn meniscus after pivoting their knee. Those with particularly fragile knees may need to exercise a lot of caution when making bodily movements. Seniors might have to avoid pivoting their knee altogether if they want to keep their meniscus safe.
2. Deep squatting
A torn meniscus is often caused by a hyperextended knee. This means anything that puts the knee joint past its normal range of motion can be an issue. One increasingly common way that this happens is due to a deep squat. The combination of going past the knee’s normal range of motion while putting body weight on it may be quite damaging. Weightlifters who are squatting with excess weight need to exercise extra caution because it can tear the meniscus. A torn meniscus often happens when a person squats deeply while leaning forward so far that their knees extend past their toes.
3. Sudden turning of knee
A sudden turning of the knee might not rotate the joint quite as much as suddenly pivoting it, but it is still quite problematic. This sort of motion can happen when you are standing with weight on the knee and turn to one side or another. Since even this relatively calm motion is enough to cause a torn meniscus, some people can end up with a torn meniscus when they are just walking or standing. However, this cause does not typically happen to people with healthy meniscus. Instead, it is more common in seniors or those with arthritis because knee cartilage may already be weakened.
4. Impact
A blow to the knee can twist it in a variety of ways, so many people develop a torn meniscus from an impact. There are many ways for the knee to encounter the type of impact that could tear the cartilage. It often occurs following a car accident where a portion of the vehicle crumples into the knee. People can also have a meniscus tearing impact if they are hit by someone else, fall and hit their knee into the ground, or drop a heavy object onto the knee. A more forceful impact tends to cause a more severe tear.
5. Sudden stopping in sports
As previously mentioned, many meniscus injuries happen during sports. The link between knee problems and sports happens because all of the quick, sharp motions put extensive pressure on the cartilage in the knees. Any sort of sport that involves a person running, dodging, and turning suddenly can twist or bend the knee in way to cause injury. Even if the knee remains relatively straight, a sharp stop while playing a sport can overextend the knee and tear the meniscus. Sports like soccer, football, tennis, and basketball that involve running around a court are particularly likely to result in knee injuries.
6. Kneeling
Not all meniscus injuries happen when you are running around or moving rapidly. Frequent pressure and overuse of the knee may result in micro tears or spots of weakness that eventually rip. Kneeling might feel relaxing, but it actually can harm the knee because it puts most of the weight of the body right on the knees. People who repeatedly kneel are most at risk, so those that have a job with a lot of kneeling are more likely to end up with a tear to the meniscus. Kneeling rapidly in a way that puts a lot of force on the knee while it bends is especially dangerous.
7. Heavy lifting
You often hear people telling you to lift with your knees instead of your back. This is a good way to avoid very severe back injuries, but if you do it improperly, it can also cause knee problems. Lifting something heavy while extending or bending the knee means that all that weight is grinding against your meniscus and knee joint. This includes those carrying heavy objects or lifting weights for exercise. You can reduce some of the risk of a torn meniscus with proper lifting technique, but for truly heavy items, it is best to get assistance instead of trying to do it yourself.
