The menisci are two C-shaped cartilage cushions inside the knee that spread load and help the joint move smoothly. A tear can happen suddenly during a twist, or gradually with age as the tissue becomes less resilient.
Dr. Vaibhav Bagaria treats meniscus injuries at Sir H. N. Reliance Foundation Hospital, Mumbai. The approach is repair-first wherever the tear pattern allows, because preserving the meniscus protects the knee from arthritis in later years.
Each knee has a medial meniscus on the inner side and a lateral meniscus on the outer side. They act as shock absorbers, distributing load across the joint surface and adding stability.
Knee arthritis is not a single condition. Osteoarthritis is the most common form and develops with age and useTraumatic tears occur during twisting, often in younger people and frequently alongside an ACL injury. Degenerative tears develop gradually as the meniscus weakens with age, and can occur with minimal injury sometimes just standing up from a squat.]" > The knee has three compartments — inner, outer and behind the kneecap. Arthritis may affect only one, or all three. That distincThe outer part of the meniscus has a blood supply and can heal; the inner part largely does not. This is why the location of a tear determines whether repair is possible.===================== -->
the classic mechanism, particularly with the knee bent.
squatting or rising from a squat, common in Indian domestic and occupational settings.
the meniscus becomes less resilient over time and tears with less force.
pivoting sports, often together with ACL injury.
a worn joint places abnormal stress on the meniscus.
Work involving prolonged squatting, kneeling, climbing or heavy lifting places repeated stress on the joint.
Seek urgent care for a knee locked and unable to straighten at all, inability to bear weight, obvious deformity, or a hot swollen knee with fever.
Mechanism of injury, locking or catching, swelling pattern, and which activities reproduce the pain.
Joint line tenderness, specific meniscal tests, range of movement, effusion, and assessment of the ligaments since meniscus and ACL injuries often coexist.
The decision to treat knee arthritis is not based on an X-ray alone. Many people have significant changes on imaging with manageable symptoms. Clinical findings, pain, function and the effect on daily life all help guide treatment.
Many tears, particularly degenerative ones without locking, respond to non-surgical care:
Surgery is indicated where the knee locks or cannot fully straighten, where symptoms persist despite adequate rehabilitation, where a repairable tear is identified in a younger patient, and where the meniscus tear accompanies an ACL injury being reconstructed.
Evidence supports trying non-surgical treatment first for degenerative tears without mechanical symptoms.
The appropriate treatment depends on the severity and distribution of arthritis, the patient's symptoms, age, activity requirements, alignment, bone quality and whether another condition is contributing to the pain.
ACL tear
Knee cartilage damage
Knee arthritis
Over two decades of orthopaedic surgical
experience
Internationally fellowship-trained in the USA,
Germany and Australia
Surgery recommended only when it is
genuinely the better option
Among India's earliest robotic joint
replacement surgeons
150+ peer-reviewed publications and multiple
device patents
Structured rehabilitation planned before the
operation, not after
Dr. Vaibhav Bagaria is Director and Head of the Department of Orthopaedics at Sir H. N. Reliance Foundation Hospital, Mumbai, and one of the earliest surgeons in India to adopt robotic joint replacement. Over twenty-two years of practice he has treated patients across the full range of bone and joint conditions, with a particular focus on robotic knee and hip replacement, partial knee replacement, sports injury and arthroscopy, and complex pelvic and acetabular reconstruction.
Name
Dr. Vaibhav Bagaria
Experience
20+ Years
Qualifications
MS (Ortho) FASSI, FNUS, FNAMS..
Speciality
Practice
Schedule your consultation with Dr. Vaibhav Bagaria today
Dr Vaibhav Bagaria
Prarthana Samaj, Khetwadi, Girgaon,
Mumbai, Maharashtra 400004
02261305757
