Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2025 Jan 28;33(13):711-719.
doi: 10.5435/JAAOS-D-24-01219.

Surgical Management of Meniscus Tears: Update on Indications and Techniques for Repair

Derrick M Knapik  1 , Matthew V Smith, Matthew J Matava, Robert H Brophy
Affiliations
Review

Surgical Management of Meniscus Tears: Update on Indications and Techniques for Repair

Derrick M Knapik et al. J Am Acad Orthop Surg. .

Abstract

Because of the crucial role of the menisci in maintaining cartilage and joint health, meniscal tears affect the long-term health of the knee. Although partial meniscectomy has a role in the treatment of complex degenerative tears and tears with low healing capacity, advances in the concepts and understanding of meniscal repair, along with improvements in repair techniques and instrumentation, have expanded the indications for meniscal repair. With appropriate patient selection and preoperative planning, repair of meniscal tears can lower the rate of degenerative changes when compared with meniscectomy. The purpose of this review is to provide a concise overview of current repair indications, techniques, instrumentation, and outcomes for a variety of commonly encountered meniscal tears (radial, vertical, horizontal, oblique, ramp, root) in the knee.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Ahmed I, Radhakrishnan A, Khatri C, et al.: Meniscal tears are more common than previously identified, however, less than a quarter of people with a tear undergo arthroscopy. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc 2021;29:3892-3898.
    1. Mameri ES, Dasari SP, Fortier LM, et al.: Review of meniscus anatomy and biomechanics. Curr Rev Musculoskelet Med 2022;15:323-335.
    1. Ijaz Khan H, Chou L, Aitken D, et al.: Correlation between changes in global knee structures assessed by magnetic resonance imaging and radiographic osteoarthritis changes over ten years in a midlife cohort. Arthritis Care Res 2016;68:958-964.
    1. Adams BG, Houston MN, Cameron KL: The epidemiology of meniscus injury. Sports Med Arthrosc Rev 2021;29:e24-e33.
    1. Espejo-Reina A, Aguilera J, Espejo-Reina MJ, Espejo-Reina MP, Espejo-Baena A: One-third of meniscal tears are repairable: An epidemiological study evaluating meniscal tear patterns in stable and unstable knees. Arthroscopy 2019;35:857-863.

LinkOut - more resources