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Symptoms of a Meniscus Injury

Meniscus in the knee are pieces of cartilage located on top of the tibia, or shin bone. There are two menisci in the knee, a C-shaped medial meniscus, and a lateral meniscus, which is more circular. The meniscus act as shock absorbers between the tibia and femur, and also help provide more stability to the knee joint. Injury to the meniscus is common, especially in athletes. This injury generally results from a twisting movement or direct trauma.

  1. Clicking

    • A meniscus is compressed between the femur and the tibia as the knee moves through its range of motion. If there is a tear in one or both, the femur and other tissues will “catch” the tear. This catching will often produce a clicking in the knee. This will be especially evident when walking up and down stairs, running and walking, or squatting. There may even be an audible click when moving through flexion and extension.

    Pain

    • Pain generally arises when damage or injury is inflicted on tissue of the body, and the meniscus is no exception. If a meniscus tear is present, pain is usually felt along the joint space of the knee, between the tibia and femur. Meniscus tears are often accompanied by damage to other structures as well, contributing to increased pain.

    Giving Out

    • Because the menisci provide support and stability to the knee, it is common for the joint to “give out” or collapse after being damaged. This may happen with everyday activities, such as walking or climbing stairs. Ligament damage may also occur at the time of injury, which leads to greater instability and the feeling of “giving out.”

    Locking

    • In the case of larger meniscus tears, a torn piece of tissue will become lodged between the femur and tibia, causing the knee joint to lock. When this happens the knee cannot be moved though flexion or extension and the knee will remain in a fixed position.

    Point Tenderness

    • Touching the joint space of the knee may elicit a tender or painful feeling. This more commonly occurs with medial meniscus tears, but may occur with lateral meniscus tears as well.

    Swelling

    • Not all meniscus tears result in swelling, especially smaller, isolated tears. Larger tears, however, will result in moderate-to-severe swelling in and around the knee. This will be especially true if other knee structures are damaged at the time of injury.

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