Institute for Sports Medicine Frankfurt Main

1. Risk kinds of sport:

Football, kinds of combat sport such as Judo or wrestling, ski alpine, equipment doing gymnastics

2. Anatomy:

There is an interior and an external meniscus. They consist of fiber cartilage and show in the cross section a triangular form with the basis at the exterior. They are mobile, flexible and ductile. The internal meniscus is C-shaped, and connected with the internal sideband. The outside meniscus is not smaller and O-shaped and has a connection with the cap or with the outside sideband.

3. Function:

During the diffraction of the knee joint, both Menisci push themselves somewhat to the rear. Both Menisci have a protection and a stabilization function for the knee joint by their structure and form.

4. Injury mechanism:

- By a rotation of the shinbone opposite the thigh outward either by own being to blame for or foreign effect, it can come to the injury of the interior meniscus.
- Degenerative changes/wear/aging
- A too strong diffraction, usually connected with rotation, can likewise hurt the meniscus.

5. Symptoms:

- With an injury of the interior meniscus a painfulness on the inside of the knee joint is noticeable during and after the load (joint inner joint). To the external meniscus the same applies, only the painfulness on the exterior of the knee joint is here located.
- Possibly joint blockades arise
- Pain during overstretching or over diffraction of the knee joint as well as with the outward rotation of the lower leg or with inward rotation of the lower leg with bent knee joint
- possibly a joint effusion arises after the load.

6. First measures:

- Immediate reduction of the load
- Immobilizing the knee joint if necessarily
- Cooling
- Compression dressing (both with and without ointment possible)

7. Therapy: (To the exact diagnostic position a physician should be visited.)

a) Conservative therapy
- Puncture, with stronger joint effusion
- Infiltrations
- Analgetic and decongestant medicines
- Insert supply
b) Operational therapy
- Teilresektionen, or if possible a meniscus seam (arthroskopisch)

8. Physiotherapie/rehablitation:

- Electrical therapy
- Lymphdrainage
- Stabilization of federations
- Stabilization, stretching and strengthening exercises
- Proprioceptive training

9. Prevention:

- Purposeful warming up program, which should depend on the following load
- Extension exercises for the entire leg musculature, according to the following load and after a load

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