A meniscus root tear is a specific tear of the meniscus where it attaches to the tibia bone.
Loss of the attachment creates significant instability of the meniscus. The meniscus can extrude which means it gets squeezed in displaced from it natural position.
Why is a meniscus root tear so concerning?
The loss of the root attachment renders the meniscus mechanically equivalent to a complete meniscectomy due to the abnormally high peak tibiofemoral contact pressures.
Loss of the root attachment impairs the ability of the meniscus to protect the joint.
This produces increased joint contact pressure and leads to rapid articular cartilage damage, subchondral bone edema and sometimes collapse.
Research demonstrates that root repair is superior to nonoperative treatment for selected patients.
How Does Dr. Ahmad Repair the meniscus root tear?
A suture-passing device to create locking loop stitches the meniscus
A small diameter tunnel is drilled from the front of the tibia to the root attachment site.
The sutures controlling the meniscus root are shuttled and fixed on the anterior tibia provide strong fixation.