The Prevalence of Meniscus Tears and How it Affects a Person’s Life

Posted on 10th February 2022

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Meniscus tears are common injuries especially to people who engage in sporty activities. This is because of the collisions, turns, or even twists associated with most sports. However, older people can also get meniscus tears.

When a person grows old, their menisci also grow weak and are prone to tearing especially when someone falls. Meniscus tears have been described as one of the health complications a person is likely to go through when they grow old.

Most people prefer surgery when they suffer from a meniscus tear. This is because the chances of their knees becoming unstable due to the injured cartilage are very high. It also causes a lot of swelling, pain, and can lock or get the knee stuck, making it difficult for a person to move.

Treatment of Meniscus Tears

One of the most successful treatments for a bucket handle meniscus tear is through circumferential stitches. This has proven to be successful in recent times and plays a very important role in ensuring that patients do not have to go through the risk factors associated with knee arthroscopy.

Some of these risks include the development of knee osteoarthritis, altering of gait mechanics, and muscle weaknesses.

As discussed above, another commonly used method of repairing a meniscus tear is through surgery. This is done through a procedure known as knee arthroscopy.

However, your surgeons will discuss this with you before surgery and will be dictated by things such as your age, health, and the activities you engage in.

The Prevalence of Meniscus Tears

The most common types of knee injury are meniscus tears. In the United States of America, for instance, there are a reported sixty-one people in every one hundred thousand people who have suffered a torn meniscus.

This injury affects more men compared to women, partly because of the nature of physical activities and sports that most men engage themselves in.

Men are at a higher risk of tearing their meniscus when they are between the ages of thirty and forty years while women mostly tear theirs between the ages of ten and twenty years.

However, older and aging people are also at risk of tearing their meniscus. This is especially prevalent in people above the age of sixty-five years old, where more than sixty percent of them suffer from degenerative meniscal tears.

There are an estimated seven hundred and fifty thousand surgical procedures of the meniscus in the United States of America every year.

What is the Likely Outcome of a Meniscus Tear?

A meniscus tear will most definitely affect the activities of people who suffer from it. For instance, if you are an athlete, you will not be able to engage in your sport especially because of the pain it brings as well as the discomfort.

This is what prompts most people to have their meniscus repaired.

You can repair a torn meniscus through the treatment options discussed above. Even though surgery is the most common form of treatment, getting a meniscus tear does not always mean that you are going to be operated on.

Surgery will be dictated by things such as;

-Your lifestyle and activity level.
-How old you are.
-Location, size, and type of the tear.
-Any other injuries suffered.
-Your Health.

Apart from surgery, you might be advised to consider other treatment options such as circumferential stitches, physical therapy, injections on the knee, and the use of NSAIDs.

Why Should You Choose Circumferential Stitches Over Other Forms of Treatment?

Even though surgery is the most common form of repairing a torn meniscus, circumferential stitching is growing in popularity and proving to be a better form of repair compared to surgery.

First of all, there are many risk factors associated with surgery such as the development of knee osteoarthritis, which might even occur later in life.

On the other hand, circumferential stitching does not lead to these risk factors. It is well known for its ability to ensure that the meniscus torn edges are sewed together without any problems. It also resolves all the pain, unlike surgery where you will experience pain even after surgery.

In addition, circumferential stitching maintains the health of the affected knee by ensuring that all contact pressures are restored. No matter the mode of treatment or repair you choose, ensure that you follow the right tips when sailing through rehabilitation