KNEE PAIN MENISCUS INJURY

A knee injury can affect any of the ligaments, tendons or fluid-filled sacs (bursa) that surround your knee joint as well as the bones, cartilage and ligaments that form the joint itself. Because of the knee's complexity, the number of structures involved, the amount of use it gets over a lifetime and the range of injuries and diseases that can cause knee pain, the signs and symptoms of knee problems can vary widely.

Meniscus injuries. The meniscus is a C-shaped cartilage that curves within your knee joint. Meniscus injuries involve tears in the cartilage, which can occur in various places and configurations. For example, the cartilage may tear lengthwise or from the inside to the outside rim of the meniscus (radial tear). Although you may not notice small tears, in most cases, you'll have pain and mild to moderate swelling that develops over 24 to 48 hours. Occasionally, a lengthwise tear flips into the knee joint instead of staying around the joint's edge, an injury called a bucket-handle tear. A flap of the torn cartilage can interfere with knee movement and cause your knee joint to lock so that you can't straighten it completely. The pain and swelling often disappear on their own, but they're likely to return when you're active again. In addition, repeated injuries can increase the size and severity of existing tears.

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