Meniscopathy - Meniscopathies

Generality

The generic term "meniscopathies" is intended to indicate the set of lesions that can affect the menisci.

Meniscopathies fall into the category of the most common disorders that can affect the knee.
Pathologies of the meniscus can arise in all types of patients, both male and female. However, indicatively, it is estimated that more than 50% of diagnosed meniscopathies affect athletes.

Functions of the menisci

The menisci are "C" -shaped fibrocartilaginous structures located at the knee and placed between the tibia and condyles of the femur. Inside each knee we can distinguish a lateral meniscus and a medial meniscus.
The menisci perform numerous and fundamental functions in the musculoskeletal system. More specifically, the menisci:

• They protect the joint from damage due to hyperextension and hyperflexion;
• They help the cartilage to absorb shocks;
• They play the role of shock absorbers and evenly distribute the loads applied to them;
• They stabilize the entire joint.

Causes and Types of Meniscopathies

As mentioned, the term meniscopathy is a generic term, with which we want to indicate a varied set of lesions affecting the menisci. These lesions can basically be divided into two large groups, depending on the underlying cause of their development:

• Meniscopathies of traumatic origin: these meniscopathies are caused precisely by trauma and are more frequent in athletes and in young patients. In this case, the lesions are caused by the excessive stress of the menisci, with the overcoming of the maximum resistance of the meniscal tissue.
• Meniscopathies of degenerative origin: these meniscopathies, on the other hand, occur mainly in old age. In this case, the tissue that makes up the menisci undergoes a degeneration that progresses with the passage of time. Injuries of this type generally arise following the execution of apparently trivial movements.

Meniscopathies can occur in both menisci, but the medial meniscus is the most affected.

Diagnosis

Generally, the doctor and above all the orthopedist are able to identify meniscopathies with a simple outpatient visit, through the interview with the patient and through the analysis of the symptoms presented by him.

However, to be sure of the diagnosis of meniscopathy, the doctor usually has to resort to performing instrumental investigations, such as magnetic resonance and CT scans.

Symptoms

The symptoms that characterize meniscopathies can be different depending on the triggering cause.
Of course, the main symptom caused by meniscopathies is pain. However, this particular symptom can manifest itself in an unclear way, that is, it may not appear immediately, but only after some time, especially when meniscal tears are mild. In still other cases, however, the pain may appear or intensify only when certain movements are performed.
However, along with pain, another characteristic symptom of meniscopathies is swelling of the knee, which can be associated with other manifestations, such as stiffness, joint blockage, difficulty in flexing or extending the joint, creaking of the joint, loss muscle strength and / or quadriceps hypotrophy.

Treatment

The treatment of meniscopathies can vary according to the type of meniscal lesion and its severity, but also according to the age of the patient.
Basically, two different therapeutic strategies can be undertaken: the conservative one and the surgical one. Conservative therapy can be effective in solving the problem only in the case of mild meniscopathies, while in the most severe forms, surgery is often the only possible solution.