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• The Knee
• Information about the knee
• Cartilage Tear
• MCL (Medial Collateral Ligament) Tear
• Cruciate Ligament Rupture
• The Ankle
• The Shoulder

THE INJURIES WE TREAT

Cartilage Tear

A meniscus tear or torn cartilage is a common knee injury that can cause pain in the joint. Cartilage tears often occur when there is a sudden rotation of the knee while it is bent or with a sudden straightening of the knee.

Meniscus tears may also occur without a sudden severe injury. In some cases a tear develops due to repeated small injuries to the cartilage or due to degeneration ('wear and tear') of the meniscus cartilage in older patients. Older people have more brittle cartilage and can often suffer a tear from even a very minor injury.

The meniscus may tear fully or partially. The severity of the injury depends on how much is torn and the exact site of the tear. Surgery can repair or remove the torn meniscus. Meniscus cartilage does not heal very well once it’s torn as it does not have a good blood supply. The outer edge of each meniscus has some blood vessels but the area in the centre has no direct blood supply. As a result some small outer tears may heal in time but larger tears, or a tear in the middle of the meniscus, tend not to heal. Surgery offers the only effective treatment for return to sports.

It is not uncommon for the meniscus tear to occur along with injuries to the ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) and the MCL (medial collateral ligament). When these three problems occur together, it is known as the ‘unhappy triad’ and is often seen in sports such as football when the player is hit on the outside of the knee.