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Causes
By Mayo Clinic staffYour knee is a complicated joint consisting of various structures, including bones, tendons, cartilage and ligaments. Two C-shaped pieces of cartilage known as the menisci (plural of meniscus) curve around the inside and outside of the knee to stabilize and cushion the joint.
A torn meniscus can result from any activity that causes you to forcefully twist or rotate your knee, such as aggressive pivoting or sudden stops and turns. Even kneeling, deep squatting or lifting something heavy can sometimes lead to a torn meniscus. In older adults, degenerative changes of the knee may contribute to a torn meniscus.
In athletes, a torn meniscus may accompany other injuries, such as a torn anterior cruciate ligament — one of two ligaments that cross in the middle of your knee.
- Meniscal tear. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00358&return_link=0. Accessed Nov. 29, 2008.
- Anderson BC. Meniscal injury of the knee. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 25, 2008.
- Knee arthroscopy. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00299&return_link=0. Accessed Nov. 29, 2008
- Urquhart MW et al. Meniscal injuries in the adult. In: DeLee JC et al. DeLee and Drez's Orthopaedic Sports Medicine. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2003. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/114764765-3/786313327/1103/860.html#4-u1.0-B0-7216-8845-4..50030-2--subchapter5_3559. Accessed Dec. 10, 2008.
