How to determine whether it is a meniscus injury?

Some people may not know what meniscus injury is. In fact, this disease is not uncommon in our lives. It is mainly a knee injury caused by external force twisting. If this injury is not treated, it will not heal on its own, so it should be paid attention to. So, how to judge whether it is a meniscus injury?

1. Lateral pressure test: With the knee extended, forcefully passively adduct or abduct the knee. If there is meniscus injury, the joint space on the affected side will be squeezed and cause pain.

2. Single-leg squat test: Use one leg to hold weight and gradually squat from a standing position, and then stand up from the squatting position. The healthy side is normal, and when the affected side squats or stands to a certain position, the injured meniscus is squeezed, which may cause pain in the joint space and even make it impossible to squat or stand up.

3. Rotational compression test: The patient lies on his back, and the examiner holds the ankle of the calf with one hand and the knee with the other hand to flex the hip and knee as much as possible, and then abducts, externally rotates and abducts, internally rotates, or adducts, internally rotates, or adducts, externally rotates, and gradually straightens the calf. If pain or sound occurs, it is positive, and the site of injury is determined based on the location of the pain and sound.

4. Strong hyperextension or hyperflexion test: The knee joint is passively hyperextended or hyperflexed. If the anterior part of the meniscus is injured, hyperextension may cause pain; if the posterior part of the meniscus is injured, hyperflexion may cause pain.

5. Tenderness: The tenderness is generally the site of the lesion, which is of great significance for the diagnosis and determination of the site of meniscus injury. During the examination, place the knee in a semi-flexed position, and press from front to back with the thumb along the upper edge of the tibial condyle, i.e., the edge of the meniscus, in the inner and outer gaps of the knee joint. There will be fixed tenderness at the site of meniscus injury. If the knee is passively flexed or the calf is rotated internally and externally while pressing, the pain will be more significant, and sometimes the abnormally active meniscus can be touched.

6. Gravity test: The patient lies on his side and lifts his lower limbs to perform active flexion and extension of the knee joint. When the joint space on the affected side is downward, pain is caused by the compression of the damaged meniscus; conversely, when the joint space on the affected side is upward, there is no pain.