Meniscus Tear Specialist | Allen, Frisco, & Plano
Dr. Yalamanchili has significant experience treating meniscus injuries using both non-surgical and advanced arthroscopic surgical techniques. His approach emphasizes preservation of healthy meniscal tissue whenever possible in order to maintain knee function and reduce the risk of future arthritis. By combining modern minimally invasive techniques with individualized rehabilitation strategies, he helps patients return to sports, work, and daily activities as safely and efficiently as possible.
Introduction
The meniscus is a C-shaped piece of cartilage that acts as a shock absorber within the knee joint. Each knee has a medial and lateral meniscus that help distribute force, improve stability, protect the joint cartilage, and assist with normal knee motion. Healthy meniscal tissue plays an important role in preserving long-term knee health. Meniscus tears are among the most common knee injuries and may occur during twisting or pivoting activities, deep squatting, or from age-related degeneration over time. Patients may experience pain along the joint line, swelling, catching, locking, or difficulty with twisting and bending activities. Because the meniscus helps protect the cartilage surfaces of the knee, loss of meniscal tissue can increase contact pressures within the joint and raise the risk of developing osteoarthritis over time.
Preserving as much healthy meniscus as possible is therefore an important goal whenever feasible. Non-surgical treatment may include physical therapy, activity modification, anti-inflammatory medications, or injections. Cortisone injections may help reduce pain and inflammation, while biologic injections such as PRP may be considered in select situations.
Surgery
When surgery is necessary, options generally include meniscus repair or partial meniscectomy and are typically done in an outpatient setting, allowing patients to return home the same day. A meniscus repair involves suturing the torn meniscus back together to preserve native tissue and is typically favored in younger or active patients when the tear has adequate healing potential. The main advantage of repair is preservation of meniscal function and potentially lower long-term risk of arthritis, though recovery is longer and healing is not always guaranteed.
A partial meniscectomy involves removing the torn or unstable portion of the meniscus while preserving as much healthy tissue as possible. Recovery is generally faster, but removing meniscal tissue decreases the knee’s shock absorption and may increase the risk of future cartilage wear over time. For select younger patients who have previously undergone significant meniscus removal and continue to experience pain or cartilage overload, a meniscus transplant may be considered. This procedure uses allograft meniscal tissue from a donor to help restore cushioning within the knee and is typically reserved for carefully selected patients without advanced arthritis.
Rehabilitation
Rehabilitation depends on the procedure performed. After a partial meniscectomy, patients are typically allowed to bear weight immediately and often return to many activities within several weeks. After a meniscus repair, rehabilitation is more protective to allow healing of the repair. Patients may require bracing, temporary weight-bearing restrictions, and gradual progression of motion and strengthening exercises, with return to sports often taking several months.