Synonyms in a broad sense: Meniscus lesion, meniscus tear, meniscus rupture, meniscus damage.
Definition meniscus tear
A meniscus lesion (meniscus tear) is an injury to one of the two cartilage discs (menisci) located between the femur and tibia bones. If you look at the bone structure of the femur and tibia, you will notice that they are asymmetrical to each other (round thigh and straight lower leg) and their joint surfaces do not fit together. The meniscus compensates for this asymmetry. The meniscus consists of two fibrocartilage discs, the inner meniscus and the outer meniscus, which can also be seen in the picture below. The menisci serve as a kind of “buffer”, because they allow an even pressure load, a smooth transmission of force and help to stabilize the knee joint.
Causes of meniscus rupture
Causes of meniscus tears range from traumatic (= caused by an accident) to degenerative (= caused by excessive strain). The percentage distribution of meniscus tears in the area of meniscal lesions can be described approximately as follows:
- 50% of meniscus lesions are degenerative in nature. This form of meniscus rupture develops in the course of life through increased strain, whereby various occupational groups such as professional footballers, tile layers, miners, gardeners, etc.
are affected. etc., i.e. people with predominantly kneeling occupational activity, are affected.
- 40% of meniscus lesions occur as a result of indirect violence (= secondary traumatic tear formation). Indirect violence includes sudden hyperextension or flexion of the joint, which unintentionally traps the meniscus posterior horns.
If force is then exerted on the trapped meniscus, for example in the form of a rotation of the lower leg, the meniscus can tear.
- 8% of meniscus lesions are caused by direct violent impacts (= primarily traumatic meniscus tears), for example by traumatic events in the form of bone fractures.
- 2% of meniscus lesions are genetic. There are people with genetically caused malformations of the meniscus. An example of this is the so-called disc meniscus. Also cyst formation and increased calcification in the area of the menisci (= chondocalcinosis) can lead to meniscus tears in the course of the disease pattern.
