Meniscal tear

Injuries to the menisci are the second most common injury to the knee. A high incidence of meniscal tears occur with injury to ACL. Young people are more likely to sustain traumatic injuries. Cutting and pivoting sports are related to acute meniscal tears.

• Mechanism of injury - twisting, cutting and pivoting
• Pain situated – joint line
• Effusion.

• Sharp/stabbing pain on the med/lat joint line.
• Patient reports locking/giving way and effusion.
• Loss of knee extension or flexion.
• The knee can be locked.
• Joint line tenderness.

• Xray rule degenerative joint disease (DJD)
• MRI to confirm diagnosis.

Medial joint OA, ACL tear, collateral tear, osteochondral injury.

If knee is locked patient should be referred to on-call team from ER or urgently to Orthopaedics from other referring practitioners.

• Locked knee
• Positive findings on investigations
• Failure for symptoms to settle.