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What is a meniscus root tear?
- 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.
