Torn Meniscus

A torn meniscus is a tear in the tough cartilage inside your knee. Two pieces of cartilage sit inside your knee between your thighbone (femur) and shinbone (tibia). This cartilage is the meniscus. The rubbery wedges of cartilage act like shock absorbers for your knee, providing cushioning for your bones and knee joint. It can tear after a hard twist or rotation of your knee.

As you get older, the cartilage in your knees wears down and gets weaker. This thinner cartilage can tear more easily. Arthritis (a breakdown of cartilage in the joints) can also lead to a meniscus tear. It’s also a common sports injury in people who play sports, even in children and teenagers.

Types of meniscus tears

Each of your knee joints has two menisci:

Medial meniscus: A medial meniscus tear affects the cartilage on the inside of your knee.
Lateral meniscus: A lateral meniscus tear affects the cartilage on the outside of your knee.

How common are meniscus tears?

A torn meniscus is a very common sports injury. Often, athletes and people who play sports for fun get meniscus tears. The injury also commonly affects older people and those with arthritis in their knees. Meniscal tears affect 61 out of every 100,000 people in the U.S.

Symptoms

When to see a doctor

Request an appointment

Complications

Blood clots are a dangerous complication of atrial fibrillation (AFib). Blood clots can lead to stroke.

The risk of stroke from AFib increases as you grow older. Other health conditions also may increase the risk of a stroke due to AFib. These conditions include:

High blood pressure.
Diabetes.
Heart failure.
Some types of heart valve disease.

Blood thinners are commonly prescribed to prevent blood clots and strokes in people with atrial fibrillation.

Prevention

Healthy lifestyle choices can reduce the risk of heart disease and may prevent atrial fibrillation (AFib). Here are some basic heart-healthy tips:

Control high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.
Don't smoke or use tobacco.
Eat a diet that's low in salt and saturated fat.
Exercise at least 30 minutes a day on most days of the week unless your health care team says not to.
Get good sleep. Adults should aim for 7 to 9 hours daily.
Maintain a healthy weight.
Reduce and manage stress.

By Freedmans Health Clinic Staff

Living with atrial fibrillation?

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