Meniscus Injuries and Recovery Process
Many people may not know the medical term for the knee joint but it’s the meniscus.
The meniscus is actually the cartilage that connects to the knee joints.
Everyone has two types of meniscus in each knee: the medial and the lateral.
Never underestimate an injury and postpone medical care.
You need both meniscus to be healthy because they actually keep the knee stable with the joints.
The meniscus are both attached to the knee joint but they also attach to the lower leg or the calf muscles; they keep the entire lower body stable and evenly distribute weight.
If you injure your meniscus in an accident it can be devastating.
Injuries to the meniscus can take months or even years to overcome and can have lifelong effects.
Medical bills, lost wages, car repairs, and stress and depression can really wreak havoc on an injury victims life, don’t fight alone.
Call Richard Harris Law Firm today.
What are Meniscus Tears
A meniscus tear is just what it says, it’s actually a tear in the meniscus cartilage due to some sort of trauma.
There are several ways that a meniscus tear can occur.
A meniscus tear can occur during an accident like a car accident or a heavy equipment accident at work.
Maybe your knee was crushed in either accident and the meniscus was torn.
Another way this happens is when you get older the cartilage becomes more brittle from age.
This happens from degeneration of the cartilage.
Another way this happens is when an athlete twists or turns the knee the wrong way or too fast or too quickly.
When an athlete tears a meniscus during a sports injury it can take them out of their sport for a long time and sometimes they never recover.
We see injuries like this everyday from car crashes, truck accidents, Uber wrecks, motorcycle accidents, etc.
A disabled man is sitting in a wheelchair after truck accident
Symptoms of a Meniscus Tear
There are several noticeable signs that you may have a meniscus tear.
If you have some major pain and swelling in the knee that suddenly appears, or if your knee starts to lock up when you bend it you may have a meniscus tear.
Other common symptoms include:
- Pain in the knee area either the front or the back of the knee
- Swelling of the knee that is so bad that you really can’t move your knee because of the swelling and bruising
- Tenderness to the touch
- Clicking or popping sound when you bend the knee. Sometimes it may even lock up to where you can’t bend it
- Reduced range of motion, either you can’t bend or flex your knee in a full range of motion
If you have noticed any of these symptoms you should seek medical assistance right away.
If you have a meniscus tear from an accident or a work related injury call The Richard Harris Law Firm for a free consultation.
We can help you gain some valuable resources you’ll need during your recovery from a meniscus tear.
Just remember this could take months or years to recover from.
The statute of limitations in Nevada is real so don’t delay getting help.
And don’t forget to get a copy of your police report from the car accident.
Types of Meniscus Tears
There are only three types of meniscus tears, each more serious than the other.
- Minor Tear- A minor tear is considered to be a minor injury with some pain and swelling that can last around three weeks or so. This may involve some anti-inflammatory medication, the doctor may require you to stay off your feet for a week or so.
- Moderate tear- This is a serious injury. This may cause years of pain, stiffness, knee instability, and may cause popping and clicking and locking. The treatment may include physical therapy, ice and hot therapy, some anti-inflammatory medication and rest
- Severe meniscus Tear- This is the most severe menicus injury. This is when the cartilage has completely separated from the knee. This involves severe swelling and pain. You may not be mobile at all when this happens. The treatment may require draining the knee of fluid with needles and in most cases surgery will be involved.
Once you have a knee injury like a meniscus tear this can last a lifetime.
The injuries can be devastating and cause years of pain.
You may be able to rehabilitate your knee but it may never be the same as before.
If you injured your meniscus in an accident that was the fault of another, call The Richard Harris Law Firm for a case review.
We can help you recover the maximum settlement allowable by law.
What Causes Meniscus Tears
The knee is the most resilient joint area of the body.
The knee literally holds up the entire body and distributes the weight evenly.
Having said that injuries to the knees including meniscus tears don’t happen easily.
The main causes for meniscus tears are traumatic injury when the knee is bent or twisted too far in one direction.
This usually happens during an accident like a car accident, or a fall of sporting injury.
Another way to get a meniscus tear is being hit with a heavy object on the outside of the knee area.
This usually happens when you get crushed during an accident like a construction accident at work or a car crash.
When your knee is crushed and you tear your meniscus surgery could be required with lengthy physical therapy and rehab.
Another way meniscus tears happen is age and degeneration.
This happens to people over the age of 40 usually and to older people who smoke.
How to Diagnose Meniscus Tears
When meniscus tears happen they may not be easily diagnosed.
If you have been injured you should seek medical attention immediately.
Knee injuries will just get worse if not treated.
Usually an orthopedist can diagnose meniscus tears using several tests to diagnose knee injuries.
The McMurray Test– Your orthopedist will rotate your foot while extending your knee and placing force and pushing up on the bottom of your foot to see stability of the knee or meniscus.
Fouche’s Sign- By rotating the tibia bone , keeping the knee straight to see if the knee locks up or pops.
The Steinman’s Sign– The leg is straight and extended out while the doctor rotates the knee extremely while slowly flexing the knee.
Diagnosing a meniscus tear can be complicated and can be very painful just to get a diagnosis.
If you were injured in an accident call The Richard Harris Law Firm today.
Why call The Richard Harris Law Firm
The Richard Harris Law Firm has been in Las Vegas and Nevada for over 40 years.
We fight for our clients and have collected over a $ Billion dollars for our clients.
The insurance companies are well known to determine fault, but you need to speak with a personal injury lawyer to protect yourself.
We offer free consultations and case reviews.
We work only on a contingency basis so we only get paid if we win your case.
We will deal with all insurance companies, police, and medical care.
We work for our clients by getting you the maximum settlement allowable by law.
Call today.
Returning Early to Work Can Affect my Health
Returning to work after a car accident should only be considered by you and your doctors in a long discussion.
Before your doctors do consider letting you return to work or continue working they should consider many factors:
- Extent of the injuries- how bad are your actual physical injuries and what the recovery process going to be
- The anxiety of going back to work
- Are you experiencing any mental health symptoms like PTSD or depression
- What kind of work do you do
Your injuries after an accident will always determine how long that you could need for recovery and how soon you can return to work.
Never hurry up and ignore your health, nothing is worth having bad health as you get older and having bad knees is a deal breaker.