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Your meniscus is a shock-absorbing cartilage found in your knee. Tears can happen when a person is over-flexing or excessively twisting their knee joint. Many times meniscal tears are a sports related incident.

There is a meniscus located in two parts of each of your knees. One provides shock absorption on the outside aspect (also known as the lateral aspect), and the other is located on the medial aspect (inside portion). It also keeps your femur (thighbone) and tibia (shinbone) from grinding against each other. In other words, if a person was somehow unfortunate enough to be born without their menisci, their weight would fall squarely upon their bones and this would promote boney fractures and a ton of knee joint pain.

Even a very small tear to the mensicus can cause a lot of pain, which is the overall reason why the health of your meniscus is vitally important. Elderly individuals that have more brittle cartilage (meniscii) may be those who are more apt to suffer a meniscus tear.

Symptoms include:

A popping feeling can occur at the time of injury

Joint pain - If you have injured your meniscus, you can also have pain at area between your bones when gentle pressure is applied.

A locking sensation can occur at the knee joint

Recurrent knee-catching

Diagnosis

When you see your physician after an injury and you are concerned about a meniscal tear, he/she will look at your history, and can perform a manual test like the Apley's compression test, or the McMurray's test. Your doctor may further their testing with the use of an MRI or X-ray to determine the seriousness of the knee injury. Surgery is not always required, unless the damage is extensive.

Treatment

Icing can help reduce knee swelling and reduce pain after a mensical tear. In addition, it is important to stay away from any activity that inflames your pain.

A well designed knee support can also help patients who have suffered an injury, such as a meniscal tear. Excessive side to side movements can be restricted and the support a brace can provide can reduce your knee pain.

If you are an active person, you can use braces for a prophylactic purpose. If you use a knee support when you are healthy you may help prevent a meniscus tear. A well designed brace can be a very useful adjunct to the health of your knee.

A good physician will tell you that they use surgery as a last resort; telling you that conservative measures should be considered first.

A meniscus repair can be used to help treat your meniscus, but more often a meniscectomy is performed, which removes the damaged part of the meniscus.

If you have injured your meniscus once, you are more apt to future knee issues, such as arthritis. Prevention is the best method to avoid such an injury. Making lifestyle choices that can help prevent this injury are recommended, such as staying in shape. The extra weight can only be an increased burden upon your meniscii.