The knee joint has two horseshoe or C-shaped pieces of hard cartilage called the menisci. There’s a medial (inside edge) and lateral (outside edge) meniscus. Both menisci are attached to the bone.

The medial meniscus is also attached to the joint capsule and one of the ligaments. These extra attachments make it less mobile but also more likely to tear under force. In fact the medial meniscus is torn twice as often as the lateral.

When the meniscus is torn and the tear goes the length of the cartilage it’s called a bucket handle tear. If you could touch the torn meniscus, it’s possible to lift the torn section up like a bucket handle.

For more information on this subject, call The Zehr Center for Orthopaedics at 239-596-0100 or visit www.zehrcenter.com. The information contained herein is compiled from a variety of sources. It may not be complete or timely. It does not cover all diseases, physical conditions, ailments or treatments. The information should NOT be used in place of a visit with your healthcare provider, nor should you disregard the advice of your health care provider because of any information you read in this topic.

Arthroscopic examination of the knee is done with a needle inserted into the joint. There’s a tiny TV camera on the end of the scope giving the doctor a view inside the joint. The test is usually very accurate.

The arthroscopic exam may be considered “negative” (normal) if and when the tear is small and remains flat against the rest of the meniscus. This is called a nondisplaced tear.

Meniscal tears are graded based on their location, direction of tear, and depth of injury. A horizontal partial-thickness tear may remain undetected when nondisplaced.

It’s also the case that mild tears can become severe tears with re-injury. If your arthroscopic surgery was done before the tear was complete then a false-negative test may be obtained. This means the test was negative for a meniscal tear when there was a tear after all.

For more information on this subject, call The Zehr Center for Orthopaedics at 239-596-0100 or visit www.zehrcenter.com. The information contained herein is compiled from a variety of sources. It may not be complete or timely. It does not cover all diseases, physical conditions, ailments or treatments. The information should NOT be used in place of a visit with your healthcare provider, nor should you disregard the advice of your health care provider because of any information you read in this topic.

  The meniscus is a tough, rubbery pad between the shinbone (tibia) and thighbone (femur) in the knee joint. There are actually two menisci inside the knee. The C-shaped medial meniscus is on the inside part of the knee, closest to your other knee. The U-shaped lateral meniscus is on the outer half of the knee joint. 

The meniscus protects the knee by spreading out pressure and forces on the knee. Without it, these forces are concentrated to a smaller area, which puts more wear and tear on the joint. The meniscus also improves knee stability by forming a socket on the top surface of the tibia. This socket gives added support where the femur bone joins the knee.

The information contained herein is compiled from a variety of sources. It may not be complete or timely. It does not cover all diseases, physical conditions, ailments or treatments. The information should NOT be used in place of visit with your healthcare provider, nor should you disregard the advice of your health care provider because of any information you read in this topic. For more information on this subject, visit www.zehrcenter.com.