Meniscus Tear Treatment Long Island

Are you fit for hours and still feel pain in your knees? Have they been swelling up recently, and it’s uncontrollable? You may be experiencing a “Meniscus Tear,” a tear that occurs in the knees due to high impact contact, aging, and wear and tear. Whether you are a sports enthusiast, a gym devotee, or just a regular 9-5 working individual, you can experience this injury. Come by Dines Orthopedics today and see how we can provide the best meniscus tear treatment Long Island!

What is the meniscus?

The meniscus is a piece of cartilage that provides the cushioning between your femur (being the thigh bone) and the tibia (being the shinbone). Each knee joint has two menisci.

Causes of a Meniscus Tear:

A torn can happen from activities that apply direct contact or pressure from a forced twist or rotation. A sudden turn lift or deep dive can lead to injury. Many athletes are at risk of a meniscus tear. Often high impact sports can lead to a higher risk injury, sports such as:

o Football

o Basketball

o Soccer

o Tennis

A study from Boston’s Children Hospital indicates that these tears are increasingly common in children. Children are eagerly participating in organized sports from an early age and continuing into their adolescent years, which ultimately puts stress on the body when training.
Age plays a factor in the weakening of the meniscus due to wear and tear. Tears are also very common in people over the age of 30.

Symptoms of a Meniscus Tear

Just as with any injury, there are always signs and symptoms when a tear occurs. Some symptoms that may appear are:

Popping sound around knee joints
Pain – specifically when touched
Swelling
Inability to move in the full range of motion
Knees locking or catching feeling
Feeling that the knee is unable to support you
Slipping or popping sensation

Treatment Options

We know not any injuries are the same, so therefore no treatment plan is the same. Initially, the knee injury should be treated and cared for with a conservative approach. For instance,

Resting your knee is highly important to avoid a worsening situation.
Ice the knee every three to four hours for 30 minutes
Compress or wrap the knee to reduce any inflammation
Elevate the knee to reduce any swelling
Medication to help reduce pain or swelling
Physical therapy to strengthen mobility and stability

If conservative, non-invasive treatments have no effect or progression, the doctor can always recommend “Arthroscopic Surgery.” This procedure consists of the surgeon going into the knee by making a small incision and utilizing a camera and tools, and repairing the severe damage. This all takes about an hour, and you can go home the same day. Recovery time usually takes about a few weeks. With proper care and physical therapy, you can regain your strength and mobility. But keep in mind risks are always there.

Preventing a Meniscus Tear

These injuries are usually difficult to prevent being the way they occur. But, some prevention methods are:

Conduct regular exercises
Warm-up with light activities before exercises
Give the body a rest between workouts
Maintain flexibility
Make sure to wear appropriate footwear

Contact Us For Meniscus Tear Treatment Long Island

At Dines Orthopedics, we set out to provide the best care and treatment plans catered to you. Our team includes a well-known and well-educated staff offering both surgical and non-surgical options. Surgeons, David Dines and Joshua, Dines both are here to provide a broad range of Orthopedic Sports Medicine services. Check us out today and see how we can help you with the best course of action in treating a meniscus tear treatment Long Island. It doesn’t get better than us! Contact us today!

Orthopedic treatment for a meniscus tear

Your meniscus is a rubbery, c-shaped disc that acts as a pillow for your knee. Tears in this disc are very common and with the proper diagnosis and meniscus tear treatment in Long Island you will be back to your everyday life as soon as possible.

There are multiple ways one can suffer from a torn meniscus. Often it is when the foot is planted while the knee is bent. That is why we often see this type of injury in football. A physical tackle while having your foot planted in the ground can easily lead to a torn meniscus. Heavy lifting and other physical sports such as wrestling and basketball are big culprits for a meniscus tear. As with anything, the more you age the greater your chance of injury. Degenerative changes in your knee can lead to a torn meniscus as well. Be mindful of physical activities.

Here are some of the symptoms you are likely to experience if you yourself have suffered a torn meniscus:

A popping sensation
Swelling and/or stiffness in the leg.
Pain sensation from twisting and rotating your knee
Limited motion of your knee

If you have been suffering with any of these symptoms we implore you to seek out meniscus tear treatment in Long Island to help treat your pain.

Once you have been evaluated you will be diagnosed with a torn meniscus if that is the case. Your knee will be examined for tenderness along its joint line, which is usually the indicator of a meniscus tear. With the use of several diagnosis tests your physician will then confirm whether or not you have suffered a torn meniscus. Your physician may recommend that you receive an arthroscopy on your knee. This minimally invasive procedure is when the surgeon examines the joint with an arthroscopy. This device is a pencil-thin device equipped with a camera lens and light. It is used to trim out and repair the tear in the meniscus with a small incision.

There are actions you can take at home to help ensure that you are strengthening the surrounding knee muscles. Here are some of the exercise your physical therapist may recommend as a part of your treatment plan:

Mini-squats: With your back against the wall and with your shoulders and head against as well, bend your knees slightly. Do not let the squats go too deep as it puts too much pressure on your knees. You want to keep your body active but not put unneeded pressure on your injury.
Straight leg raise: Lie flat on the ground and slowly lift your leg about 5 inches off the ground. Hold for 10-20 seconds and repeat 10 times for sets of 3.

Physical therapy can go a long way in your recovery and meniscus tear treatment in Long Island.

Though it is possible to leave a meniscus tear as untreated it is best to receive some sort of treatment given that it is possible for part of the cartilage to become loose and therefore cause the knee to slip out of its place, leading to a more intense injury. Treatment depends on the severity of the tear. Some methods are relatively conservative, here are some of the following treatments you will encounter if you treat the tear with non-invasive procedures:

Rest
Ice
Anti-Inflammatory
Cortisone injections
Physical therapy to help strengthen the surrounding knee muscles
Arch support shoes to help distribute the weight evenly across your foot. This can help reduce tension on your knee

If there is still pain after these methods have already been utilized then you may have to consider surgery. This procedure is typically minimally invasive and is one of the more common procedure orthopedics experiences. meniscus tear treatment in Long Island can help with both the pre and post op if you do decide to go the path of surgery. You will likely be prescribed several months of immobilization, the use of crutches and physical therapy to help strengthen your knee.