Best Treatment For Meniscus Tear: Without Injections Or Surgery

Chiropractic Specialty Center® (CSC) provides holistic, non-invasive treatments that fix and repair meniscus tears and injuries without injections or surgery. CSC incorporates advanced methodology knee pain treatments that target meniscus injury through specialized therapy equipment and manual procedures provided by clinical physiotherapists and evidence-based chiropractors in Kuala Lumpur; contact us about your meniscus injury and knee pain today.

 

Meniscus tear is one of the most common knee injuries that can become debilitating. Meniscus tears can occur in anyone or any age. A torn meniscus is common that happens with forceful twisting or rotation actions, especially while standing. Also, meniscal tears are widespread injuries in contact sports or activities requiring running combined with sudden stops and changes of directions, as seen in football, basketball, or rugby. 

 

The Knee Joint

 

The knee is a complex hinge joint, allowing flexion and extension with limited rotations what twisting full. The knee is made of four bones: femur, tibia, fibula, and patella. However, the knee itself is only composed of three bones. The fibula is a long slender bone along the outer aspect of the leg and starting right below the knee joint. The fibula is not part of the knee joint. Nonetheless, it is essential to the knee, ankle, and foot as it provides stability to the knee and ankle through its attachment points for ligaments and muscles that move the knee, ankle, and foot.  

 

Here are the three bones that form the knee joint:

1. Femur: The femur is your thigh bone; it is the largest and strongest bone in the knee, which articulates with the tibia and the patella to form the knee joint.
2. Tibia: The tibia is the shinbone on which the meniscus is firmly attached to. The tibia provides the knee’s primary weight-bearing joint, providing a smooth gliding surface and shock absorbance through the attached menisci (medial meniscus and lateral meniscus). 
3.  Patella: The kneecap or patella is the largest sesamoid or free-floating bone in the body. It is anchored through the patellar tendon that attaches to the tibial bone inferiorly, and superior anchoring means through the tendons of the quadriceps. 

 

Signs & Symptoms Of Meniscus Tear Or Injury

 

If you felt a “pop” during an activity, you may have torn your meniscus. You may be able to walk and even run when an injured meniscus for one or two days without too much pain. However, the pain will gradually increase between 48 and 72 hours post-injury (two to three days). An initial complaint includes pain and stiffness, which may accompany a swollen knee. We have listed the most common symptoms after turn meniscus below:

• Popping sensation upon injury
• Swelling, stiffness, or pain
• Difficulty and fully straightening the leg at the knee
• Unstable knee with a “giving away” sensation 
• Frequent or occasional locking-up sanitations, which may cause the knee joint to get stuck.  

 

How Are Meniscal Tear Diagnosed?

 

In the old days, diagnosis of a torn meniscus was made during physical examination. McMurry’s test is perhaps the most accurate for diagnosing patients would it turn meniscus. The McMurray’s orthopedic test is performed with patients lying prone (on their stomach). The doctor bends or flexes the injured knee while rotating it; a positive test is when the patient has pain or if the knee clicks with discomfort as it nears a 90-degree flexion. And the inability to perform a test is also considered positive for a torn meniscus. 

 

The best diagnostic test is an MRI or magnetic resonance imaging. MRI is the gold standard in assessing meniscal tears or any other soft tissue injuries involving the knee. Also, a torn meniscus is rarely a standalone injury, and most will present with damaged ligaments and cartilage. As such, MRI is the most valuable diagnostic test in identifying the severity and locations of damaged tissues accompanying a meniscal tear.

 

Contact Chiropractic Specialty Center® today for a thorough assessment of unique pain; we have the experts and knowledgeable clinical support teams to help identify and correct the cause of your knee pain without injections or surgery.

  

Meniscus Anatomy, Location & Two Most Common Types Of Teats

 

The knee joint has two menisci. Menisci is a plural term for meniscus. The medial meniscus and lateral meniscus, situated between your thighbone (femur) and shinbone (tibia). The menisci (both the medial and lateral meniscus) are firmly attached to the tibia (shinbone). Each meniscus is a wedge-shaped cartilaginous structure that provides shock-absorbance, cushioning, and anchoring means through its ‘C’ shape form creating a depression or concavity for the articulating corresponding parts of the thighbone (medial condyle and lateral condyle). 

 

The meniscus is a Greek word for crescent as it resembles a crescent moon when viewed from the top. However, the side view of the meniscus resembles a wedged-shaped structure that is thicker on outer edges and thinner on the inner parts. The medial meniscus (meniscus of the inner knee) is bigger than the outer or lateral meniscus, and both are “C-shaped,” the medial one is a bigger and elongated “C,” as it bears more weight. 

 

There are a total of six different types of meniscuses injuries. The two most common types of tears that send patients seeking knee treatments are:

1. Bucket-handle meniscus tears
2. Radial meniscus tears

Common Causes Of Tears

 

As mentioned earlier, meniscal tears are common in activities resulting from a forceful twisting or rotating of the knees. These are common injuries in sports that require pivoting or sudden stops as the athlete turns. However, you do not have to be an athlete or be involved in an athletic activity to injure your meniscus. Ongoing degenerative changes in patients over 40 can cause or lead to meniscal tears with simple activities such as turning to look behind with a firmly planted foot.

 

What Are The Possible Complications?

 

As mentioned earlier, meniscus injuries or notorious for companying injuries of other tissues. Or related structures of the knee joint. In other words, the presence of a meniscus injury in the absence of injuries to other tissues surrounding the knee is rare and almost non-existent. Misdiagnosis, ineffective treatments, and neglect can lead to degenerative and arthritic changes (osteoarthritis) or irreversible damage, requiring knee replacement surgery or TKR. In fact, one of the leading reasons why patients end up with a partial or total knee replacement (TKR) is related to complications arising from a torn meniscus. Therefore, contact CSC today before knee surgery becomes your only option.

  

The Six Types Of Meniscal Tears

 

Meniscus injuries, including tears, are treatable without injections or surgery. In fact, non-invasive conservative knee treatments provide is better outcomes for both the short and long-term. In-invasive knee treatment methods are either through steroidal injections (corticosteroid injections) or arthroscopic knee surgeries. We provided the six types of meniscal tears below, all of which are treatable and recoverable without injections or surgery:

• Bucket-handle meniscal tear
• Radial meniscal tear
• Intrasubstance meniscal tear or incomplete tear
• Complex meniscal tear

 

Bucket-Handle, Radial & Horizontal Tears

• Bucket-handle meniscal tear:  Are the largest and possibly most painful meniscus injury resulting in a tear is a bucket-handle tear. These are horizontal tears that rapidly worsen. Although they are harder to treat, the chance for non-surgical recovery is suitable for patients who are consistent with their treatment program. Orthopedic surgeons will almost always recommend an arthroscopic knee surgical procedure for a bucket handle tear. 
• Radial meniscal tear: A radial tear is the most common type of a torn meniscus. What makes a radio tear complicated is the fact that they are in the avascular zone, meaning areas with no direct blood supply, making them difficult to recover from. However, focused non-surgical treatments given two therapeutic measures at Chiropractic Specialty Center® can help You recover without injections or surgery.

Horizontal Meniscal Tear 

Horizontal tears of the meniscus is one of the most uncomplicated and treatable meniscus injuries. However, horizontal tears that fall along the avascular portion are more challenging than those in the meniscus’s vascular areas. Visit a chiropractic specialty center near you to discover your non-surgical alternatives for a torn meniscus.

 

Flap, Incomplete & Complex Tears

• Incomplete or intrasubstance meniscal tear: An incomplete meniscus tear or the intrasubstance is usually seen in patients would early degenerative changes. These stairs will not require any surgery or injections, as they can heal with focused procedures. Also, these are the type of tears commonly seen in younger individuals. 
• Complex meniscal tear: Complex tears of the meniscus are more challenging. A complex tear is a combination of horizontal tear combined with a radial tear. As the name of applies, these are complex in their presentation, treatment, and recovery. 
• Flap meniscal tear: The most unusual meniscal tear is a flat there. Flap tears can respond to conservative treatments. If the conservative therapy measure fails, you may need surgery to remove the torn part; however, we encourage you to exhaust your non-surgical option before opting for any surgical remedies.

Which Meniscus Is Most Susceptible To Tears?

 

The medial meniscus, located at the inner aspect of the knee, Is most susceptible to injuries and tears compared to the outer or lateral meniscus. The medial meniscus is more susceptible because it is attached to the joint capsule and the deep medial collateral ligament at the inner knee joint. The medial meniscus’s joint capsule and ligamentous attachment render it immobile, compared to its mobile counterpart on the outer side (lateral meniscus). Moreover, the medial meniscus Is the main shock absorber, making it more prone to injuries—however, patients with ACL ligament tears often present a lateral meniscus tear.

 

Can You Continue To Exercise With A Tron Meniscus?

 

If you have a torn meniscus, you will need to take a break from excessive physical activates, including all types of weight-bearing exercises, until you heal. Starting an exercise program too early will accelerate the degenerative process as well as the severity of your tear. Twisting, turning, or rotating while standing are harmful actions for an injured meniscus. Also, it would help if you refrained from squatting with a torn meniscus.

 

Keep in mind, knees with torn meniscus are unstable and weak; as such, weight-bearing activities will cause the tears to get bigger and may even involve ligamentous and cartilaginous damage. If you start targeted treatments such as those offered at CSC, your recovery will speed up. 

 

Our Doctor of Chiropractic and physiotherapists will prescribe a focused treatment program for you so that you may return to the lifestyle and activities you love most. In the meantime, during the healing and therapeutic stages of your care, we may recommend crutches or a cane to help minimize the impact of weight-bearing on the injured meniscus.

 

Should You Wear A Brace?

 

Wearing a brace will be helpful with an unstable meniscal tear. To maximize the beneficial impact of a brace, combine it with a holistic conservative treatment program. However, bracing alone will not repair the damage. You don’t have to spend a ton of money on a brace. A good knee brace has sewn-in metal supports with joints on its sides to decrease mini skull stress and help recovery. Bracing may be needed for two to three weeks. Prolonged use of any brace can lead to muscle weakness, complicating your recovery and healing process. 

 

 Are Supplements Good?

 

Our chiropractors recommend nutritional supplements for all our soft tissue injuries, including meniscal and ligamentous tears of the knee. We have listed some of the beneficial supplements you can take to complement your needed treatment program:

1. Fish oils: A 2015 published study found fish oils (EPA 400mg & DHA 200mg) beneficial in patients with knee problems.
2. Glucosamine with Chondroid: Over the years, many publications have published articles on the effectiveness of glucosamine and chondroitin, most of which reported mixed findings. However, a proper intake or dosage of these supplements will be helpful only when combined with focused and ongoing therapy before taking glucosamine sulfate, chondroitin sulfate, or any other supplement to make sure to discuss them with your medical doctor first. Glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate should not be supplemented in diabetic patients or those taking anticoagulants or blood thinners.
3. Hyaluronic acid & MSM:  Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) and hyaluronic acid (HA) are helpful as they can improve the healthy fluids (synovial fluid) and reduce swelling. As always, make sure to ask you a medical doctor before taking a supplement. Also, you should use supplements to complement a holistic therapy program. In other words, the best supplement by itself is useless when it comes to repairing damaged soft tissues, including a torn meniscus.

 

Are Corticosteroid Injections Helpful, Or Should You Get Them?

 

Steroid injections of the knee are a common practice, and the steroid injections you get in a knee are corticosteroids. One of the most common procedures in an orthopedic setting is corticosteroid injections of joints and spine, including the knees. 

 

Corticosteroids are synthetic chemicals that are supposed to mimic the best beneficial impact of cortisol. Cortisol is a natural hormone that the body produces and the adrenal grants to help with:

• Stress
• Immune response
• Metabolism
• Healing & recovery from injury

However, corticosteroids may help with inflammatory processes and even decrease pain, but the harmful impact outweighs any benefit for patients with injured knees. A better option is conservative management without injections. Nonsteroidal medications may be helpful, but it would be best if you avoid steroids, especially injectable ones. a recently published study (October 15, 2019) in the journal of Radiology reported significant and severe complications in patients who were treated with corticosteroid injections in their hips and knees. As such, do you authors of this peer-reviewed study call for careful review of corticosteroid injections and advises patients and doctors alike to avoid steroid injections as much as possible.

 

Biologic therapies: Stem Cells & PRP

 

PRP (platelet-rich plasma) and stem cell injections have not proven effective. However, these two procedures, commonly known as biologic therapies, are being studied and may have promising outcomes that would advances in 10 years if all goes well. Therefore, a conservative, non-invasive treatment that focuses on the injured tissue is your best option. The best conservative method of treating an injured knee is by combined efforts of chiropractors and physiotherapists who use advanced techniques and therapy devices is specific to soft tissue healing and recovery.

 

 

How Effective Is Arthroscopic Knee Surgery For A Torn Meniscus?

 

Arthroscopic surgery is often recommended for patients with knee injuries. However, a published study in the New England Journal of Medicine by several highly decorated orthopedic surgeons has called for a review of arthroscopic knee surgery, especially for meniscal tears. This renowned published report compared the effects of actual arthroscopic surgery with series of fake or sham arthroscopic knee surgeries and conservative physiotherapeutic treatments. They discovered no difference between those that received the actual arthroscopic surgery and the mock surgery. Moreover, they noted significant improvements and patients who received non-invasive physiotherapeutic procedures. Therefore, you may want to consider a conservative and non-invasive method of care before arthroscopic knee surgery.  

 

Best Home Remedy For Knee Pain, Knee Injury & Meniscal Tears

 

If you have injured your knee, you will need to refrain from aggravating activities, which means stopping anything that causes pain or aggravation of your symptoms, including stiffness. We have provided self-help tips in home remedies you can implement for an injured knee in acutely torn meniscus below:

1. Ice to injured knee: Wrap the ice pack in a towel, place on the injured part for 15 minutes using a timer, repeat every two hours.
2. Protect the injured knee: Protect your knee by wearing a brace. Make sure it has hinge joints on the side.
3. Elevate your knee 
4. Use a pillow under the knee: Put a pillow underneath during sleep or at rest when lying down limit activity: Avoid physical exertions and athletic activities until the knee is fully healed
5. Over-the-counter medication: You may take some nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory over-the-counter medicines to help reduce pain and swelling. Ask your pharmacist or medical doctor for advice on medication.

 

Suppose the self-help mentioned above doesn’t eliminate the pain. In that case, you will need focused non-invasive treatment for a torn meniscus and knee pain from our clinical teams of chiropractors and physiotherapists.

What Is The Best Treatment For A Torn Meniscus?

Recovery from a torn meniscus is possible without surgery or injections with holistic treatments that target injured knee tissues or structures. As mentioned, a torn meniscus is rarely a standalone injury. Most patients with meniscal injuries will also present with problems or issues related to the knee joints’ ligaments, muscles, bursa, and structures. Speed of recovery depends on the severity of the injury and the location of the tear. Other factors that dictate recovery include age and your activity level.

Chiropractic Specialty Center® (CSC) offers the best non-surgical knee treatment program in Malaysia. Our chiropractors and physiotherapists offer combined care methods through manual therapy and machine-provided treatments that target injured tissues. CSC’s knee treatment protocol for damaged meniscus and torn ligaments may include one or more of the following procedures:

• high-intensity laser therapy
• Shockwave therapy
• Electrotherapy
• Ultrasound therapy
• Focused exercise and stretching programs
• Myofascial, trigger point, and manual therapies that target the muscles of the knee
• Specific non-rotatory chiropractic adjustments of the knee joint, hip joint, and ankle.

In addition to the therapeutic measures we provide, we will advise you on nutritional supplements and home care treatments to speed your recovery. CDC only provides treatments at our center that you cannot do at home. As such, therapies or procedures you can do at home will be provided with detailed instructions. An excellent example of what you may need to do at home is icing and exercises. To save you time and money, we will refrain from performing procedures that you can do at home.

For more information about our treatments or locations for a torn meniscus and knee pain, contact our main center on 032093 1000.