The Truth Behind a Torn Meniscus
When you tear your meniscus or you have a torn meniscus in your knee treatment options include medication, injections, physical therapy, and/or surgery.
When deciding which treatment option or options to go with it’s important to understand a few things. First off, when the meniscus is injured there are often several other things that occur that will impact your pain and function.
For instance, there is typically swelling initially in the joint along with tightness and weakness in the muscles that cause pain and decreased function. Swelling can be managed initially with rest, elevation, and ice. If swelling persists you can use anti-inflammatory medications and in some cases with chronic inflammation an injection can be helpful.
Tightness and weakness is best addressed with basic stretching, manual therapies, and strengthening. Typically, if you are able to reduce swelling and normalize mobility and strength, you can function pain free even with a torn meniscus.
We see too many people rush to surgery following a torn meniscus and research is now showing that this is a big mistake.
The best treatment option is physical therapy where you will get a combination of stretching, strengthening, and manual therapies to help reduce swelling and normalize mobility and strength. If swelling and pain are the limiting factor in your ability to progress then anti-inflammatory medications and possibly injections can be used in combination with physical therapy.
In some cases surgery is required to fix the structural damage but in most cases physical therapy will provide you with the best long term outcomes.
Here are a couple stretches you can do help improve mobility in your knee
If you have any questions or want more FREE knee pain exercises call or text 614-392-2732
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