How to treat a knee meniscus injury?

Meniscus injury, a common knee injury among athletes, for which tennis player Novak Djokovic recently underwent surgery.

Martin Ducret, doctor and journalist at Doctor’s Daily, tells us today about meniscus injury, a knee trauma common among athletes.

franceinfo: First of all, what is a meniscus used for?

Martin Ducret: The meniscus, or rather the menisci, because there are two in each knee, are a kind of natural shock absorber, shaped like a crescent, located on each side of the knee, between the femur and the tibia. They help absorb the stresses exerted on the joint, stabilize it, and facilitate the sliding of the bones, by acting as a lubricant.

How does a meniscus injury occur?

To put it simply, there are two different scenarios for this type of lesion. The first is that of the young athlete who is injured following a trauma, a twisted knee for example. This is what recently happened to tennis player Novak Djokovic, or to Thibaut Courtois, the Real Madrid goalkeeper, last March. Because of this twist, the meniscus cracks or tears, and a more or less large fragment can become detached, even leading to blockage of the joint.

“This type of unstable injury in young athletes requires surgical intervention in the vast majority of cases.explains Dr. Romain Rousseau, orthopedic surgeon at the Nollet clinic in Paris. The goal is to preserve the meniscus as much as possible and to stabilize the lesion, ideally with a suture, but it is sometimes necessary to remove a piece of the meniscus, in the event of blockage of the joint by a fragment. After the operation, the time to return to sport ranges from 1 to 6 months, depending on the location and type of lesion.”

And what is the other scenario?

This is the meniscus injury of older athletes. The typical situation is that of a runner in his fifties, who complains of knee pain, following an increase in his running frequency, as part of the preparation for a marathon for example.

In this case, no knee twisting, it is repeated microtraumas that cause a crack and inflammation of the meniscus. The lesion is generally stable, so no need for surgery, it is first necessary to calm the inflammation with rest, ice and anti-inflammatories. Sometimes a corticosteroid infiltration is necessary.

Then, the athlete will be able to resume his sport, provided that he has remuscled his leg with a physiotherapist, and has seen a podiatrist, to obtain advice on good running practices, and the making of orthopedic insoles if necessary.