Start with understanding
The menisci are two pieces of cartilage that help distribute load within the knee. A tear can occur during an injury or develop gradually with age-related changes.
The type of tear and the way it affects the knee matter. An acute injury with a blocked knee is a different situation from a degenerative tear found during an investigation of long-standing discomfort.
Video coming soon
Explore the written guide and illustrated lessons below.
Connect understanding to daily life
Describe what “locking” means
Clicking and a feeling of catching are not the same as a knee physically unable to straighten. A true movement block after an injury deserves prompt assessment. Swelling, joint-line pain, and injury history are also important details.
An MRI finding does not choose the treatment
Assessment considers the tear pattern, symptoms, other joint changes, and your goals. Some acute tears may be repairable. For many degenerative tears, exercise-based care can be a reasonable starting option.
Preserve the decision, not just the label
A trial in adults with degenerative meniscal tears found physical therapy was not inferior to partial meniscus removal for knee function at five years. That does not settle decisions about traumatic displaced tears or a locked knee.
Build the plan around your life
Explain the demands of the activity you want back before discussing a procedure. Kneeling at work, walking on uneven ground, and returning to a pivoting sport create different priorities. Ask how each option relates to that activity and what the next stage would involve. Your preferences should be visible in the plan.
Make your next visit useful
Bring the injury timeline, any swelling pattern, and a clear description of catching or locking. If imaging is available, ask how the tear pattern relates to symptoms and whether other knee changes matter. Ask which findings would favor a repair, continued rehabilitation, or another opinion.
Educational information complements individual guidance. Your health history, goals, and examination determine appropriate care.
Build your understanding
Five ideas to build your understanding. Swipe, use the arrows, or focus the slides and use your keyboard.
Does every meniscus tear need an operation?
No. Treatment depends on the tear type, symptoms, joint context, and function. Some acute displaced or repairable tears need a different pathway from degenerative tears.
Is clicking proof of a tear?
No. It is worth describing, especially with pain or swelling, but it does not establish a diagnosis on its own.
What the evidence means for you
Five-year outcomes supported exercise for degenerative tears
The ESCAPE trial found exercise-based physical therapy noninferior to partial meniscectomy for knee function at five years.
Put it to use: Ask whether an exercise-first pathway fits a degenerative tear before choosing surgery.
Keep in mind: Participants were 45–70 with degenerative tears; results should not be extended to all traumatic or locked-knee presentations.
JAMA Network Open · randomized clinical trial →Acute tears require a different set of decisions
AAOS guidance for acute meniscus tears discusses assessment, nonsurgical care, and preserving meniscal tissue when surgery is indicated.
Put it to use: Ask whether the tear is acute, displaced, or potentially repairable.
Keep in mind: Acute-tear guidance is not interchangeable with evidence for age-related degenerative tears.
AAOS · guideline plain-language summary →