As a person ages it is common for changes in the meniscus to occur. At times these individuals are advised on surgery, but is meniscal surgery necessary? The answer is not as simple as just “fix it”.

The meniscus is a cartilage structure that separates the 2 main bones of a person’s knee (femur and tibia). The role of this structure is to support, cushion, and help the tibia and femur work together. Without a meniscus it would be hard for the rounded end of the femur to work smoothly on the flatten surface of the tibia. Think marble on a flat tabletop. This is an important structure for function, but one that will change over time.

Data suggests age-related changes are the norm in people over age 40….AND most of these folks report no pain. Read that line again. Age changes do not necessarily equal pain though they are often spoken as such. What this means is that advanced imaging alone does not tell the story of if meniscus surgery is necessary. The physical exam and how a person functions are actually more important.

Regardless of what any image of a knee looks like, no thoughts of surgery should be had until at least 6 weeks of conservative care have happened. Remember, age changes happen so any current pain may or may not be directly related. Or it could be the person is just symptomatic at that time but given some rehab might calm down. Too often people rush into surgery when if given is time the body could “heal” itself and function well again.

An important piece of data not spoken of enough is that when compared to meniscus surgery, those opting for conservative care achieve the same functional results over time. Interesting…conservative care is essentially equal to surgery in this case. Yet more individuals still opt for surgery because they are looking for the “FIX”. Understand though that not all surgery is successful and there is always the chance the knee feels worse after surgery than before. And once that piece of the meniscus is removed, there is now less to support the knee joint.

All this to say meniscus surgery is not necessary in many instances. Take the time to try conservative care first. At the very worst you will have better motion, strength, and balance. And if all fails, surgery remains an option down the road.

For more information on how conservative care can help a person recover from age-changes or injury to the meniscus, click the following LINK to request a personal phone call.