At the Center for Sports & Regenerative Orthopedics in Waldorf, MD, Meniscus Tear injury can be addressed with a variety of treatment choices that have proven successful with our patients.
It’s important to address conditions like a torn meniscus. If it doesn’t heal properly, your knee will not be as stable as it was before your injury – and that can increase your risk of other knee injuries, like an ACL tear, for example. Call us today at (240) 754-7954 or contact us online to schedule a consultation with one of our Meniscus Tear specialists on Post Office Road near Post Office Lake in Waldorf, Maryland.
We are located in the St. Charles community of Waldorf, with its walking paths, swimming pools, scenic lakes, playgrounds and neighborhood centers. If you’re traveling in from out of town, we are conveniently located near an array of fine hotels and unique dining experiences.
A C-shaped pad of cartilage in the knee, the meniscus acts as the knee’s primary shock absorber.
Each knee has two menisci, which cushion and protect the joint surface. The lateral meniscus sits on the outside of the knee, while the medial meniscus sits on the inside of the knee.
These crescent-shaped menisci are positioned between the ends of the upper leg bone (femur) and the lower leg bone (tibia) and protect the lower part of the leg from the shock created by your body weight.
A tear in the meniscus is one of the most common knee injuries that brings people in for treatment.
A torn meniscus usually occurs with an activity that causes you to forcefully twist or rotate your knee, especially if you are putting your full weight on it. Tears in the meniscus usually occur when your knee is bent and your foot is planted, then you twist or turn your upper leg.
Your meniscus tear will usually occur as a sudden injury, though wear-and-tear deterioration over time can be a contributing factor, as Meniscus Tears are often seen in older people or those with arthritis in the knee. When your cartilage is worn – whether due to arthritis or aging – sometimes a tear can occur from minor, seemingly normal activities like walking on uneven ground. Sometimes, degeneration causes a tear, even without any knee injury at all.
Some people are born with menisci that are more prone to tearing and can be identified by their characteristic disk shape.
When one or more of your four menisci is torn, the pain is immediate and often debilitating. People who experience a torn meniscus sometimes feel like something has popped in their knee when the injury occurs.
While pain and weakness are the two primary symptoms, other symptoms may include:
A thorough medical history is our first step, which will include questions about any activities that may have led to your condition. We then perform a physical exam to check for pain, swelling or stiffness in the area of your Meniscus Tear.
Generally, ultrasound is our preferred imaging test for diagnosis because it allows us to visualize the cartilage and surrounding structures in your knee and make an accurate assessment on the severity of the injury or damage and what caused it. Having it done the same day as your first visit helps us start your treatment protocol immediately.
Our team will conduct a thorough examination to determine the root cause of your pain and diagnose if what you have is in fact a torn meniscus. After the ultrasound exam and diagnosis, we typically offer physical therapy and exercises to improve body mechanics - not just in the knee but the whole kinetic chain. Which can help in managing and healing/recovering from injury with most natural and conservative efforts.
We may also use Dry Needling and Trigger Point Injections when necessary to stimulate circulation in the targeted areas and improve mobility. These innovative and minimally invasive techniques increase blood flow to the injury, which aids in healing and strengthening, at the same time drastically reducing pain levels. Increasing blood flow to the knee can also help reduce the inflammation in the Meniscus Tear.
If these methods are not successful, we prefer to use regenerative therapy as a next step, which is the process of extracting the body’s own healing agents and using them to help heal injuries. The body uses its own cells to grow new healthy tissue and repair the injury. Our team will develop a tailored treatment plan and determine if regenerative therapy would work best for you. Research has shown that PRP is highly effective for treating Meniscus Tear tears, without the risk or expense of surgery.
There are also conventional treatment methods for Meniscus Tear that typically include the following:
At the Center for Sports & Regenerative Orthopedics in Waldorf MD, our specialized Meniscus Tear doctors always prioritize our patients’ preferences, and ultimately, we present your options, and you make the choice. Oftentimes, we see athletes or patients who are very active or whose jobs or lifestyles require the problem resolved immediately, and we move right into the more in-depth techniques like PRP or prolotherapy aiming for fast results. We also have patients who prefer simpler methods, and in those cases, we can take treatment steps one at a time to see what works, trying conservative steps with therapy which can provide strength, stability, and pain relief, but may take more time.
All our treatment methods have an excellent track record and have brought impressive results for our patients in the Waldorf MD area. For more questions about our treatment methods, speak with our experts today to see which might be the best treatment option for you.
At the Center for Sports and Regenerative Orthopedics in Waldorf, MD, our goal is to help you reach higher than ever before.
If you are ready to get back to the life you love, take the next step towards diagnosing and addressing your condition.
Call (240) 754-7954 or contact us online to set up a consultation with our Meniscus Tear specialists!
Center for Sports and Regenerative Orthopedics
601 Post Office Road, Suite 2A
Waldorf,
MD 20602
Phone: (240) 754-7954
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