Arthroscopic Partial Meniscusectomy

I underwent Arthroscopic Partial Meniscusectomy on the lateral meniscus of my right knee last Thursday due to a tear in the cartilage due to an injury I sustained during a game of badminton back in October 2006. 

Menisci are crescent shaped cartilages between the tibia and femur that serve to absorb weight in the knee and provide stability.  The end of the femur basically glides across the menisci whenever the knee is bent forward or backwards.  The tear causes an impediment to this gliding motion, sometimes wedging causing the knee to click or even lock.  Damage to the meniscus does not normally heal as such it is necessary to remove the damaged area, otherwise it may cause additional damage to the cartilage or to the bone in contact.

This illustration shows the different parts of the knee

No damage was obvious at the time of my injury even with an x-ray image, which really only shows that there were no broken bones but fails to show the condition of other tissues, but I had to endure at least a month of significant pain.  I was able to return to my normal activities approximately after two months but it was apparent that my knee was less than it was before.  It became necessary to wear a brace to provide additional stability during sports as I often felt that my knee was “loose”, however there were still instances where I would feel some pain especially during extreme lateral movements.  I would also often feel the knee clicking while walking and when doing stretching exercises, I could not bend it as fully as I could before. 

I first visited Dr Jaime Tamayo in July for my initial check up.  He ordered an MRI, quite an expensive operation, which allowed him to see the damage more precisely.  The MRI results showed that I had a radial tear on the lateral meniscus.

This illustration shows a horizontal cross-section of the knee

This illustration shows the same cross section with two types of tears.  This accurately depicts my injury, a radial tear on the lateral meniscus.

The procedure involved inserting an arthroscope, basically a small camera connected to a tube which can be inserted into a joint through a small incision.  Through a second incision, the doctor inserts another tool to remove and repair the tear.  I have no recollection of the operation because I was sedated during the entire procedure.  I understand an epidural was administered to anesthetize the lower half of my body.  Recovery from the anesthesia was brief was agonizing, due to the uncomfortable feeling of numbness.  As for the knee itself, I felt no significant pain except those caused by the stitches.  I was able to walk as early as 8 hours after the operations.

More information at www.orthspec.com.

I’m scheduled for a follow visit with the doctor in a couple of days but thus far I’ve been able to move the knee with sufficient freedom.

This photo was taken two days after the operation, the sutures can be seen.