Can I not exercise if I have a meniscus injury?

Recently, I received a private message from a friend asking about his knee discomfort after long-term running, basketball, skiing and other sports. The MRI showed that the posterior horn of the right meniscus was injured to the second degree. At present, the left knee has also begun to feel sore, swollen and painful. He even has symptoms of X-legs due to compensation. If he does not have surgery, will he never be able to do the sports he loves again? Of course not! Choosing appropriate and correct exercise methods can not only maintain an ideal lifestyle, but also reduce knee joint injuries and improve motor function.

Knowing yourself and your enemy can provide the best protection

First, let me briefly introduce the location and function of the meniscus. The meniscus is a wedge-shaped fibrocartilage structure located between the femur and tibia, which makes the asymmetric femoral condyle and tibial plateau fit together. The lateral meniscus is "O" shaped, and the medial meniscus is "C" shaped. The lateral meniscus bears 70% of the load of the lateral structure, while the medial meniscus shares the load with the articular cartilage. Anatomically, each meniscus can be divided into three parallel parts: the posterior horn, the body, and the anterior horn; from the perspective of blood supply, the meniscus can be divided into three parts longitudinally.

The main functions of the meniscus include stabilizing the joint, absorbing shock, lubricating the joint, and assisting knee joint movement. Therefore, when engaging in various sports that require jumping and knee joint control, such as basketball, volleyball, skiing and other sports, it is easy to cause varying degrees of meniscus tearing and even accompanied by knee joint effusion and cysts.

The physical examination of the meniscus includes: tenderness, positive McBurney test in the joint space, and positive grinding test. At the same time, auxiliary examinations such as X-ray and magnetic resonance imaging are used to diagnose the degree of injury.

How to strengthen muscles to protect our meniscus? Next, the editor will teach you some self-training movements to strengthen the muscle strength and proprioception around the knee joint, so as to protect the meniscus during the movement of the knee joint.

Quadriceps strength training: Wall squat - when the upper body is upright against the wall, the knees need to be directly in front of the toes and the calves should remain perpendicular to the ground; sit on a high stool, place the load on the ankles (sandbags or elastic bands are both fine) and slowly perform knee extension resistance exercises.

Proprioception: While maintaining single-leg support, slowly bend your knees and squat down, then hold your knees straight for 3 seconds; the advanced version can also allow you to do ball throwing and catching activities at the same time or replace the support surface with a soft cushion or even a balance board.

Muscle strength training in water: Use the buoyancy and dynamic characteristics of water to provide resistance for muscle strength training, while also protecting the meniscus from damage caused by external impact and the exercise load itself.

Tips

1. Try to avoid jumping and twisting the knee joint in daily life;

2. Do a thorough warm-up and stretching exercise before exercise;

3. Wear appropriate protective gear when exercising and proceed step by step;

4. Apply ice to the affected area for 10 to 15 minutes after exercise;

The popular science content of this platform has been funded by the China Association for Science and Technology's Science Popularization Department's 2022 National Science Literacy Action Project "National Society Science Popularization Capacity Improvement Project-Rehabilitation Science Popularization Service Capacity Improvement Action Plan"