Orthopedics-Online

Meniscus irritation

introduction

The menisci (German moon-shaped corpuscles) are disc-shaped cartilages, of which there is an inner and an outer in each knee joint. The menisci enlarge the contact area between the thigh and lower leg. They also have a stabilizing function in the knee joint. The fiber cartilage of the menisci also has a high degree of elasticity, so that they are called "Shock absorbers“Act between the upper and lower legs.

Due to their location in the knee joint and their buffering function, the menisci are very susceptible to pathological changes. On the one hand, certain sports such as football or tennis often lead to an acute meniscus injury, the meniscus tear. Meniscus irritation often occurs when the knee is stopped or turned abruptly, as in football or skiing.

In addition, various causes can lead to meniscus irritation, which is usually less dramatic. Injuries more often affect the inner meniscus than the outer meniscus because it is less mobile.

causes

Meniscus irritation often occurs when Sports. In addition to an acute injury, it can also lead to permanent overload of the Menisci come into a state of irritation. This mainly affects sports in which the Knee joints be heavily used like Soccer, To run, tennis, To ski and many more.
Also at certain professional groups The menisci are overloaded every day and become irritated. This is often the case with physically working people how Tiling or Artisans in general.

Next to it is Obesity an important risk factor for developing meniscus irritation as this occurs in the knee joint almost all of your body weight have to carry and cushion.
In addition, it occurs in every human being advanced age to degenerative changes in the fibrous cartilage of the menisci, which is symptomatic differently from person to person.
Finally, meniscus irritation can also cause a traumatic trigger like having a fall knee.

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The knee joint is one of the joints with the greatest stress.

Therefore, the treatment of the knee joint (e.g. meniscus tear, cartilage damage, cruciate ligament damage, runner's knee, etc.) requires a lot of experience.
I treat a wide variety of knee diseases in a conservative way.
The aim of any treatment is treatment without surgery.

Which therapy achieves the best results in the long term can only be determined after looking at all of the information (Examination, X-ray, ultrasound, MRI, etc.) be assessed.

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Symptoms

Meniscus irritation becomes symptomatic primarily through pain. These occur mainly during exercise and less often at rest. The pain becomes particularly severe when exercising, climbing stairs or generally running.
Symptoms often begin during exercise, such as jerky movements while playing soccer or skiing. In addition, the feeling of instability in the knee joint can occur.

More severe courses or tears lead to swelling of the knee joint (effusion), as well as a restriction of mobility. The effusion is caused by an inflammation caused by small cracks, which leads to the increased formation of synovial fluid.

Can you tell the difference between irritation and tear in the meniscus?

The meniscus irritation can often not be clearly distinguished from the meniscus tear by the symptoms.

In most cases, irritation is not as painful. However, both injuries can cause increased pain when moving or exercising. A meniscus tear is also often accompanied by an inhibition of extension in the knee joint. A stretch inhibition can, however, also occur if the meniscus is irritated, if a strong swelling has formed which prevents the stretching.

In order to be able to safely rule out a meniscus tear, an MRI of the knee (magnetic resonance tomography) should be performed. Furthermore, a meniscus tear can be visualized by means of a joint reflection of the knee (arthroscopy), in which treatment can also be carried out immediately if damage is present.

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Meniscus lesion

therapy

It is very important for the therapy of meniscus irritation that the affected knee is spared in order to be able to recover. This rest should last about 4 weeks, depending on the healing process and the symptoms of the person concerned.
Manual therapy should be carried out by a trained physiotherapist. In manual therapy, the therapist uses certain manipulation techniques to find the cause of pain or a movement blockage in the joint and, depending on the findings, selects special movement techniques and manipulations as therapy.
In the acute phase, it often helps to put the affected leg up and cool it, for example with ice or curd cheese.
Also pain relievers and anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) such as ibuprofen or diclofenac can relieve the symptoms in the short term. Due to its wide range of side effects, which mainly occur in the context of long-term use, the use should be limited to a few days when the pain is acute.

During the entire rest phase, the type of sport that may be the cause of the meniscus irritation should definitely be stopped. Even after the rest phase, when the knee supposedly no longer causes problems, you should consider switching to another, more knee-friendly sport, since after the first occurrence of meniscus irritation, it will recur and the risk of osteoarthritis increases.
Sports such as Nordic walking, cycling or swimming are particularly gentle on the knee.
If the person concerned is overweight, it is absolutely advisable to aim for weight reduction. In this way, repeated overstressing of the knee, which results from the increased body weight, can be avoided.

Failure to comply with the rest phase or the recommended weight reduction threatens osteoarthritis of the knee joint, which can lead to irreversible (irreversible) represents degenerative knee joint disease, which in the later stage is often only due to knee replacement (Total knee replacement surgery, total knee replacement) can be treated.
If the meniscus irritation is caused by a misalignment and the resulting overloading of the knee joint, wearing orthopedic shoes or insoles can compensate for this and thus prevent the development of pain.

Medication

Externally, both a sports ointment with pain relieving, herbal ingredients and ointments containing active ingredients such as diclofenac (e.g. Voltaren ointment) can be applied to the painful knee.
These ointments are particularly effective when they are applied under a professionally applied, stabilizing bandage. The advantage of this topical topical application is that typical side effects of diclofenac tablets (Voltaren® in tablet form) such as stomach pain or the formation of a stomach ulcer do not occur.
In the case of acute pain, however, diclofenac or ibuprofen can also be taken in tablet form for a few days, as the typical side effects usually only occur after long-term use.

Bandage for treatment

If the meniscus is irritated, a bandage can help relieve the symptoms.

The knee joint is supported and stabilized by the bandage. In addition, the knee joint and the irritated menisci are relieved by wearing a bandage. The relief takes place by increasing the pressure in the knee joint through a pressure pad in the bandage. The pressure pad sits on the kneecap (patella) when the bandage is worn. It is important that the bandage fits properly. The pressure of the bandage should be placed in the right place so that the knee joint can be guided and the menisci can be relieved.

The bandage should be worn until you are free of symptoms. It can also be worn during exercise to prevent irritation of the menisci to prevent recurrence of symptoms.

homeopathy

Homeopathy can be used to help irritate the menisci. However, if knee problems persist for a long time, a doctor should be consulted.

The globules are taken in a potency of D12, five pieces, three times a day. On the one hand, Arnica can be taken against pain. If the pain is more acute, Apis mellifica can relieve the symptoms. Calendula can help reduce pain and swelling. Colchicum can be taken for pulling pain and weakness in the knee. If the pain is severe and worsens when moving, the use of Ruta is recommended.

How long should the sports break be?

How long the meniscus irritation persists depends on the extent of the damage and the therapeutic measures taken by the person concerned. A sports break of approx. 4 weeks should be observed in any case, in order not to hinder the healing process through further overload. During this time, the knee joint should generally be spared as much as possible and any stress should be avoided.
The healing process can also be accelerated by manual therapy with a physiotherapist. Drug therapy with pain killers relieves the symptoms, but usually does not accelerate the process.

If meniscus irritation occurs several times, the risk of osteoarthritis in the knee joint is increased. A constant relieving posture caused by the pain can also lead to malpositions in the knees and hips. In this case, the doctor will advise those affected toknee-friendly“Switching to sports like swimming or cycling.
After the rest phase, it is advisable to specifically train certain muscle groups to stabilize the knee and thus the meniscus. It is best to first get guidance from a professional fitness trainer or physiotherapist.

Diagnosis of meniscal irritation

The diagnosis of meniscus irritation should always be made by knowledgeable doctor and not provided by the person concerned. The doctor can already see the Medical history (anamnese), i.e. a possible accident, the apparent obesity or the preferred sport of the patient draw important conclusions.
Furthermore, several have clinical tests proven, in which the doctor provokes additional stress on the menisci through targeted turning and bending movements. If the tests are positive, this indicates a Meniscus rirritation or injury down.

Imaging diagnosis can initially be the conventional roentgen are used. This is especially indicated when the doctor is after an accident exclude bony injuries want or about one arthrosis to judge.
However, the method of choice for diagnosing injuries to the meniscus is this MRI, in which the structures can be represented very precisely. On rare occasions, when symptoms persist and imaging does not provide results, a Arthroscopy (Jointoscopy) Provide clarity.