Damage to the meniscus. What should I do if I have an injury?

Meniscus is called an elastic gasket, reminiscent of a crescent moon, but structurally similar to a tendon, which functions as a buffer between the shin and thigh. Given the importance of its function in the body, damage to the meniscus - the injury is serious.

In addition to depreciation, this part of the skeleton plays another significant role in the work of the knee joint - together with the ligaments and the capsule it maintains its stability. Damage to the meniscus with various injuries (sports, domestic, transportation, etc.) occurs often enough. Its rupture can also occur against the background of age-related (degenerative) changes in the bones. Sometimes, even an unsuccessful squatting can be traumatic.

Types and forms

Damage can one or both meniscus (inner and outer), both alone and simultaneously with other joint structures (ligaments, articular cartilage, capsule, fat body). Such injuries can be of various forms and types.

A damaged or severed part of the meniscus almost never grows on its own, over time, its tissue becomes compacted and inelastic. This is due to the fact that the structure of this cartilaginous padding has specific features: most of the tissue has no vessels and can not be regenerated simply.

Torn The meniscus experiences great loads when moving, so its gap continues to increase. The damaged part loses its function, gradually turning into something alien. This torn body is displaced into the joint cavity and is restrained between the shin and the thigh. In this case, the articular cartilage is destroyed, which is accompanied by acute pain.

Meniscus rupture, treatment

In acute trauma, there is an option of making a suture of the meniscus in the blood supply or paracapsular zone. Such a surgical operation is carried out if the rupture is longitudinal, and the prescription of the injury is no more than 10 days. After operation it is necessary to observe a strict mode: till 8 weeks walking is shown only with support on crutches and up to half a year - restriction of loads on a leg.

Meniscus arthroscopy allows performing an operation without opening the joint with trauma or pathological changes. A special micro-instrument, which is used in this procedure, improves the efficiency of the operation, making it less traumatic while maintaining the integrity of healthy tissues.

Damage to the meniscus in young people, when there are no age-related changes in the bones that form the joint and articular cartilage, can be eliminated by transplanting the donor organ. In this case, it is implanted and fixed to the capsule of the joint and tibia. This procedure can be performed using arthroscopic techniques. An experienced surgeon using modern surgical equipment can completely eliminate the negative consequences of trauma in the shortest possible time.

The results of the operations that have been obtained at the present time indicate the prospects and high effectiveness of this method of getting rid of such problems as meniscus damage and reliable prevention of arthrosis of the knee in the future.