What is Meniscus Tear?
A meniscus tear is a common knee injury involving the rupture of the meniscus, a C-shaped piece of cartilage that cushions and stabilizes the knee joint. These tears can result from acute trauma or degenerative processes due to aging.
Symptoms & Signs
Individuals with a torn meniscus may experience:
Symptoms can vary depending on the severity and location of the tear.
Why It Happens?
A meniscus tear happens when the meniscus cartilage in the knee is subjected to excessive force, twisting, or degeneration over time.
There are two main types of causes:
Traumatic Tears (common in younger, active people)
These happen due to sudden, forceful movements, often during sports or accidents.
Causes include:
- Twisting the knee while bearing weight (e.g., pivoting in basketball or soccer)
- Sudden stops or directional changes
- Deep squatting or lifting heavy objects improperly
- Direct impact to the knee (e.g., tackle or fall)
Degenerative Tears (more common in older adults)
These occur due to wear and tear over time, as the meniscus becomes weaker and less flexible with age.
- Repetitive stress from years of walking, squatting, or kneeling
- Arthritis-related changes, which make the cartilage more brittle
- Minor movements like rising from a chair or stepping awkwardly (in older individuals with weakened cartilage)
Other Contributing Factors:
- Obesity – more stress on the knee joint
- Previous knee injuries can compromise stability
- Poor leg alignment can cause uneven pressure on the meniscus
How can we help?
Regenexx offers non-surgical, regenerative treatments for meniscus tears using interventional orthobiologics. These procedures aim to harness the body's natural healing processes to repair damaged tissue.
- Minimally invasive: Same-day injection procedures without the need for surgery.
- Customized treatment plans: Tailored to the individual's specific injury and needs.
- Use of orthobiologics: Including platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and bone marrow concentrate to promote healing.
- Reduced recovery time: Patients often return to daily activities within weeks and to sports within a few months.
This approach provides an alternative to traditional surgical methods, potentially reducing the need for prescription medications and lengthy rehabilitation.
Meniscus Tear Discs without Surgery
01. Super Concentrated Platelets (SCP)
Harnessing the power of your own blood, Super Concentrated Platelets (SCP) represent the next generation of natural healing technology. This advanced regenerative treatment is designed to accelerate your body’s repair process using concentrated platelets and growth factors.
- SCP and Platelet Lysate harness the healing growth factors from your blood to enhance natural repair.
- Platelet injections stimulate repair cells to amplify healing.
- Procedures use high-level imaging for precise cell placement.
- More concentrated and purer than any other PRP available in the world.
02. Mesenchymal Cells
Mesenchymal cells, also known as healing cells, are a cutting-edge solution in regenerative orthopedics. By leveraging the body’s own ability to heal, this treatment works at the cellular level to repair tissue, reduce pain, and restore function without surgery.
- Cell Concentrate containing repair cells for healing.
- Harvests and concentrates cells from the hip, injecting them into the injury with advanced imaging guidance.
- Procedure aims to reduce pain and improve function by enhancing and triggering the body’s inherent healing mechanism.
- Protocol treats various orthopedic conditions.