Meniscus treatment without surgery

Most injuries of the meniscus are operated. These are mostly traumatic injuries, which have happened during sports. Sports that place great demands on the knees are particularly often the cause of such meniscal ruptures.

These are sports like soccer or skiing. They are rotation and fall injuries. But degenerative processes can also damage the meniscus cartilage, ultimately resulting in age- or work-related wear.

Meniscopathy is recognized as an occupational disease in tilers, for example. However, not every disease or injury to the menisci requires compulsory surgery. Basically all lighter injuries, which are hardly or completely free of complaints, can be treated conservatively.

A physiotherapeutic therapy with exercises to stabilize the knee and promote mobility is performed. In addition, ointment dressings that relieve inflammation and pain can alleviate complaints. In the case of smaller tears or degenerative wear and tear in the outer zone of the meniscus, surgery is not always necessary.

The outer zone of the meniscus is well supplied with blood and therefore has a good chance of healing even with conservative treatment for minor damage, whereas the inner zone, which is not well supplied with blood, has a worse prognosis. Components of conservative treatment are physiotherapy and physiotherapy, protection, adequate cooling, pain medication and the injection of cortisone preparations. The latter have an anti-inflammatory effect.

In addition to the cortisone preparations, there are also the so-called non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. These are noncortisone containing drugs with anti-inflammatory effects. They are also used for treatment.

It is very important in conservative treatment to take sufficient care of the knee joint and to move it in an adequate pain-free manner so that mobility is promoted step by step.Especially in case of joint wear and tear, i.e. arthrosis, it is important to relieve the joints. Overweight patients are recommended to reduce their weight, as overweight puts additional strain on the joints. Meniscus injuries of any kind require physiotherapeutic or physiotherapy treatment postoperatively or sometimes even preoperatively.

Depending on the exact nature of the injury, physiotherapy exercises vary. The following is a brief overview of the course and type of physiotherapeutic exercises after meniscus injuries. However, these can of course differ from the individual treatment by the physiotherapist and are only an example of the possibilities.

The goal of physiotherapy is to restore the mobility of the knee joint as free of complaints as possible and to make a fluid movement sequence possible for the patient again. The therapy proceeds step by step and increases in complexity as the mobility of the affected knee increases. Patients who have only suffered a meniscus contusion or those who have only undergone a partial resection of the damaged meniscus can begin physiotherapy very soon.

However, if a major intervention was necessary, such as a synthetic or biological meniscus implant, physiotherapy may be postponed for months after the intervention. There are various approaches to movement that promote mobility and stabilization of the knee joint. Some examples with explanations follow.

1st quadriceps training: The muscle Quadriceps Femoris is the large muscle on the front of the thigh. Specifically, these are four muscles that attach to the kneecap in a common end tendon. The quadriceps femoris is an extensor in the knee joint and is important for straightening the body from a squatting position.

It also stabilizes the kneecap. Strength exercises help to stabilize the knee and promote mobility. For example, when lying down, you can alternately stretch one front of the thigh first and then the other for a few seconds.

The procedure is repeated several times. 2. passive mobilization of the kneecap: The kneecap is carefully grasped with both hands while sitting with outstretched legs and gently pushed to the side by a few millimeters. Do not move it up or down!

In case of pain the exercise should be stopped. In this way, the mobility of the kneecap is promoted. 3. knee bends/squats: Only when pain-free!

Position yourself as wide as your hips and bend your knees as deeply as possible. If this causes pain, stop the exercise. It is a general rule that after meniscus injuries a lot of exercise is good for recovery. However, the movement must not be painful or stressful. If walking is very painful, you can still use walking aids in the first days after the operation, for example.