How Do Meniscus Tears Affect the Elderly?

How serious is knee pain? In some cases, general discomfort or stiffness can be relieved with stretching or pain medication but in others, you could be dealing with a meniscus tear.

This injury is relatively common among younger adults, who may twist their knee on the playing field and be diagnosed right away. In older adults, meniscus tears occur gradually as a result of everyday wear and tear.

Recent research involving adults over 50 shows that therapy and physical rehabilitation have similar outcomes to surgery. If you or a loved one is living with sharp knee pain or a doctor has identified a meniscus tear, here’s what you should know.

How Do Meniscus Tears Occur?

The meniscus is a piece of cartilage behind the kneecap that acts as a shock-absorber for the knee joint and provides cushioning between the femur and tibia. Over time, this wedge-shaped area goes through a significant amount of wear and tear.

As the cartilage weakens and thins out, tissue becomes more susceptible to tearing, even during mundane activities like climbing stairs.

Older adults experience degenerative meniscal tears that cannot be traced back to one incident. Studies also show that individuals living with osteoarthritis of the knee often have a meniscal tear, too.

Signs of a Meniscus Tear

A mix of swelling, stiffness and pain around the knee joint signifies a meniscus tear. In older adults, these symptoms may also be accompanied by:

• A sensation of catching, popping, locking or clicking with knee movement
• Weakness in the joint
• A sharp pain when you attempt to rotate the knee
• Knee lockup or buckling when you attempt to move

Meniscus Tear Treatment Options

In the early stages, a doctor may recommend nonsurgical treatment options, including:

• Extra rest to stay off the joint
• Anti-inflammatory medications and ice packs to reduce the swelling
• Physical therapy or short-term rehabilitation to improve the joint’s range of motion

In many cases, patients start to improve after a few months. At this point, a doctor may recommend an arthroscopic partial meniscectomy (APM), a type of surgical knee arthroscopy treatment to repair the torn meniscus.

However, medical researchers have started to question this procedure. Although it offers optimal outcomes in teens and young adults who sharply and suddenly tear the joint, researchers at Johns Hopkins found it has few benefits to those 65 years and older.

Examining data from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, researchers compared groups of patients who received APM to patients who were recommended regular exercise and physical therapy. Data showed the physical therapy group experienced fewer complications, were prescribed fewer opioids and spent less time recovering.
 
Our short-term rehabilitation programs help elderly patients recover from degenerative meniscus tears. To learn more, contact West Hartford Health & Rehabilitation today!