Meniscus tear is one of the common types of knee injuries. Athletes and sportspersons – and people who play high impact sports – such as football, hockey, baseball and rugby are at increased risk of meniscus tears. Anyone – irrespective of their profession and age can tear their meniscus. Torn cartilage in the knee is nothing but torn meniscus.

Meniscus tear surgery | Cost in Hyderabad

Meniscus – There are two rubbery discs that help cushion the knee joint – these wedge-shaped fibrocartilages work like a shock absorber between the femur and tibia bones of the knee joint are known as menisci. They are important in providing stability to the knee joint.

What is the cause of meniscus tear?

Sporting activity is the prominent cause of tear meniscus. It can be either non-contact or contact injury. Aging is another cause as it may gradually leads to degenerative meniscus tears. In general, aged cartilage is more prone to tears.

How does it feel when you have torn meniscus?

The common symptoms of meniscus tear include:

• Knee pain
• Swelling, inflammation and knee stiffness
• Locking or catching of the knee
• Restricted knee motion
• A feeling of your knee giving away

How is meniscus tear diagnosed?

Your orthopedic surgeon evaluates your medical history and symptoms while examining your knees. He will try to locate the tenderness in the area where the meniscus sits. If he or she finds a tender spot that may signals a tear.

McMurray Test: Your orthopedic doctor bends, straightens and rotates your knee to create tension in the torn meniscus. If you have meniscus tear, you will experience knee pain, clunking or clicking sensation in your knee joint. This is a primary physical test to check for meniscus tears.

Your doctor may also recommend other imaging tests such as X-rays and MRI scans to rule out other knee conditions that can cause similar symptoms.

X-rays – though X-rays help in showing bone fractures, they will not show a meniscus tear. Your orthopedic doctor recommends this test to check the other cause of knee pain – such as arthritis or bone fractures.

MRI scan – This scan helps in detecting soft tissues damage or tears including ligaments, tendons, cartilages and menisci.

Treatment of Meniscus Tears

Your orthopedic surgeon recommends treatment based on your age, extent of damage, activity levels and health. Based on these factors, there are two treatment approaches:

Non-surgical treatment

The most effective sports-related injuries protocol is RICE – It stands for Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation.

Rest – Suppose a sporting activity has caused meniscus injury, then doctors recommend you to take rest – and avoid putting weight on the affected knee by using crutches.

Ice: Use ice packs several times a day for up to 20 minutes each time you apply cold packs

Compression: The best way to compress and prevent swelling is to use or wear a compression bandage.

Elevation: When you take rest, put your leg elevated by using a support, the leg should be raised higher than your heart.

To ease pain and inflammation your doctor will prescribe NSAIDs – such as naproxen, ibuprofen and aspirin.

Your doctor may also recommend a corticosteroid injection to ease pain and swelling.

Meniscus tear surgery in Hyderabad

If you don’t get any relief from non-surgical treatment approaches, your knee surgeon may recommend arthroscopic knee surgery – a minimally invasive surgery to repair your tear meniscus.  There are two approaches:

Partial meniscectomy: torn meniscus tissue is trimmed away. This will help in a complete range of knee motions and weight bearing.

Meniscus repair: In this procedure, torn meniscus is trimmed and repaired by stitching together the torn pieces. The healing period of meniscus and recovery time may be longer compared to meniscectomy.

Meniscus tear surgery cost in Hyderabad

The cost of meniscus tear surgery in Hyderabad may vary. And, the average cost of meniscus tear in Hyderabad may range anywhere between Rs. 85,000 to Rs. 1,50,000. Though the cost could be higher in some cases, but mostly the cost depends on the type of injury, the type of procedure, the extent of damage, comorbid conditions, experience and expertise of the knee surgeon and also on hospital facilities availed.

Rehabilitation To restore knee strength and mobility, your orthopedic surgeon will prescribe rehabilitation exercises. After completion of initial healing, you will work with your physical therapist. You can carry out your exercises and rehabilitation at home. The rehabilitation time would be around 3 to 6 months. However, the healing time for meniscectomy is around 3 to 6 weeks.