User:CliveOwen11/sandbox

= Rehabilitation for Torn Meniscus Injury = Presently, treatments make it possible for quicker recovery. If the tear is not serious, physical therapy, compression, elevation and icing the knee can heal the meniscus. Tears that are more serious require surgical procedures.

Surgical Procedure
Arthroscopy is a surgical procedure that partially or completely removes the damaged meniscus. If the injury to the meniscus is isolated, then the knee would be relatively stable. However, if another injury such as a torn ACL was coupled with a torn meniscus, then an arthroscopy would be performed. A meniscal repair has a higher success rate if there is an adequate blood supply to the peripheral rim. The interior of the meniscus is avascular, but the blood supply can penetrate up to about 6 milimeters or a quarter inch. Therefore, meniscus tears that occur near the peripheral rim are able to heal after a meniscal repair. A study conducted by Heckman, Barber-Westin & Noyes found that it is better to repair the meniscus than rather remove it (meniscectomy). The amount of rehabilitation time required for a repair is longer than a meniscectomy, but removing the meniscus can cause osteoarthritis problems. If the meniscus is removed, the patient will be in rehab for about four to six weeks. If a repair is conducted, then the patient will need four to six months.

Rehabilitation Programs
It is optimal if the meniscus repair is conducted immediately after the injury occurs. The rehabilitation for the meniscus repair is conservative, which does not allow the patient to do weight bearing activities and observe limited motion. The limited motion and non-weight bearing activities ensure that no shear or compressive forces are applied to the meniscus. Recently, accelerated rehabilitation programs have been used and show to be as successful as the conservative program. The program reduces the time the patient spends using crutches and allows weight bearing activities. The less conservative approach allows the patient to apply a small amount of stress and prevent range of motion losses. It is likely that a patient with a peripheral tear may pursuit the accelerated program and a patient with a larger tear will use the conservative program.