Facts about Menisci and Meniscus Tears
- Each knee has two tough, rubbery menisci.
- The menisci are located between the tibia (shin bone) and femur (thigh bone).
- One meniscus sits on the inside of the knee joint and is referred to as the medial meniscus. The other meniscus rests on the outer part and is referred to as the lateral meniscus.
- The medial meniscus is “C” shaped and the lateral meniscus is “O” shaped.
- The menisci act as shock absorbers and help equally distribute body weight across the knee joint.
- Without menisci the knee joint would wear down unevenly.
- Meniscal tears are one of the most common knee injuries.
- Normal knees have 20% better shock-absorbing capacity then those without meniscus.
- Surgical procedures of the meniscus are performed on an estimated 850,000 patients each year.
- Meniscal injuries may be the most common knee injury. The prevalence of acute meniscal tears is 61 cases per 100,000 persons.
- The overall male-to-female incidence is approximately 2.5:1. Males between the ages of 31-40 years, and females between the ages of 11-20 years have a higher prevalence of meniscal tears.
- In patients older than 65 years, the rate of degenerative meniscal tears is 60%. In older patients the meniscus will typically become drier and more brittle therefore it can tear more easily.
- Menisci are able to distribute the load and forces over a much larger surface area which decreases contact pressure by increasing contact area.
- Menisci transmit up to 70% of the joint load. Partial menisectomy may increase peak loads up to 65%. A total menisectomy may increase peak loads up to 235%.
- Menisci also protect the underlying articular cartilage. Removing 15-34% of a meniscus may increase contact pressure on the articular cartilage by more than 350%. (This is an important fact if you are considering arthroscopic Surgery for a Meniscal Tear).
Located in Irving, Texas, the Atlas Medical Center includes a team of professionals that are dedicated to improving your quality of life. Professional and amateur athletes, dancers, musicians, retirees and people who are just suffering with pain go to the Atlas Medical Center for care. Using the facility to improve their condition, thousands of successful cases have been treated since 2001.
Dr. Alexandra Schnee, D.C. primarily treats patients suffering with knee pain due to arthroscopic knee surgery, arthritis, bursitis, ‘bone on bone’, tendonitis, meniscus/cartilage tears, and Baker’s Cyst’s.
At the Atlas Medical Center we have programs available that can help most musculoskeletal conditions such as low back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, sciatica, disc and nerve problems, hip, ankle, foot, hand and wrist pain, etc…
Dr. Robert Hanson, D.C.an associate at the Atlas Medical Center, offers non-surgical cold laser therapy programs for neck, back and shoulder pain relief. Dr. Hanson’s Cold Laser Therapy Program help treat herniated, bulging, degenerated discs, stenosis, and pinched nerves in the low back and neck with Cold Laser Therapy and Spinal Decompression Therapy.
If you live in the Dallas/ Fort-Worth Metroplex and suffer with knee pain, and would like more information about Dr. Schnee’s Cold Laser Knee Program or any of our other programs please call our office at 214-596-1051, or fill out the form on the right hand side of this page and a FREE 16 page report about the treatments will be mailed to you within 72 hours.
Article by Dr. Alexandra K. Schnee, B.S.,D.C.,-Your Cold Laser Therapy Doctor for the Non-Surgical Treatment of Knee Pain for the Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas Area-“ Dr. Schnee’s Cold Laser Therapy Knee Program Has Been Helping People with Knee Pain and Joint Pain in the Dallas-Fort Worth Area Since 2001.”
Knee pain and Cold Laser Therapy expert, Dr. Alexandra Schnee, DC of Dallas Texas shares some facts about Meniscus tears and how her treatments help.
Source Information: Wheeless Textbook of Orthopedics online at Wheelessonline.com