What the meniscus does
Each knee has two menisci, C-shaped pads of cartilage that cushion the joint and spread load across it. They tear in two main ways: a sudden twist on a bent knee in younger, active people, or gradual wear in older knees where the cartilage has become brittle.
A torn meniscus can cause pain on the inside or outside of the knee, swelling, catching or locking, and a knee that will not fully straighten.
Repair or removal
Where the tear is in the outer part of the meniscus, which has a blood supply, Dr East will repair it with stitches placed arthroscopically. This preserves the cushion and lowers the chance of arthritis later.
Tears in the inner part cannot heal, and the damaged fragment is trimmed away in a partial meniscectomy. This is a shorter recovery but removes some of the cushion, so it is reserved for tears that cannot be repaired. Many degenerative tears are managed without surgery at all.
Recovery
After a partial meniscectomy most patients walk out of hospital and are back to normal daily activity within two to four weeks. A repair needs protecting: crutches and a brace for about six weeks, with a return to running at around three to four months.