Operation meniscus lesion | Meniscus lesion

Operation meniscus lesion

To restore stability in the knee joint and avoid consequential damage such as osteoarthritis after a meniscus lesion, surgery may be considered.Nowadays, operations on the knee are generally performed in a minimally invasive manner using knee endoscopy (arthroscopy). The required instruments and a mini-camera are inserted into the joint through the smallest skin incisions. There are three different procedures for such an operation.

The advantages of a meniscus operation are the minimally invasive procedure, only very short hospital stays of 1-3 days and the shortened overall therapy duration. However, despite these advantages, meniscus surgery is a procedure performed under general anesthesia and therefore carries the usual risks associated with surgery. Whether an operation can be performed for a meniscus lesion therefore depends strongly on the age and physical condition of the patient.

• Partial meniscus resection: Partial meniscus resection means the partial removal of the affected meniscus. The parts that are torn and therefore no longer functional are removed. The decisive factor in this procedure is that neither too much nor too little tissue is removed.

  The lesion must be removed, but the stability of the joint must not be affected.

• Meniscus suturing: If the broken meniscus is not too badly damaged, the surgeon can try to suture the torn tissue so that the two parts grow together again.
• Meniscus replacement: In case of a severely damaged meniscus, it may be necessary to perform a complete removal of the meniscus. Afterwards, however, the cartilage disc must be replaced, as otherwise wear and tear-related knee arthrosis can quickly occur. Complete removal of menisci is therefore an extremely rare procedure.

Treatment without surgery

If the physical condition of the patient does not allow surgery or if it is a slight meniscus lesion, a conservative therapy, i.e. a therapy without surgery, can be considered. It should be noted that destroyed cartilage tissue rarely heals by itself. Therefore, conservative therapy does not actually treat the cause, but only the symptoms.

Conservative therapy always starts with pain relief using analgesics (painkillers). For this purpose, drugs with active ingredients such as ibuprofen or acetylsalicylic acid are suitable. If surgery is not yet ruled out, caution should be exercised when taking some medications, as they can have a blood-thinning effect (e.g. when taking aspirin).

The use of medication in case of a meniscus lesion, especially over a longer period of time, should therefore always be discussed with a doctor. Crutches can be used for relief. Bandages or splints on the knee can also help to relieve the pain.

If the symptoms have improved, each patient can help to ensure that the symptoms of the meniscus lesion do not worsen again. Various preventive measures make everyday life easier. For example, long periods of sitting or squatting should be avoided and the knee should be protected during sports and exercise.

For athletes in particular, there are special stabilizing sports bandages that can be worn during increased strain. Physiotherapy or physiotherapy can help to improve the stability of the knee joint once the symptoms have subsided.