Can children and teenagers tear their meniscus, and is it treated differently?

How young people tear the meniscus

In teenagers, the usual story is a twisting injury on a planted foot during sport, often in football or basketball, and sometimes together with an ACL tear. Year-round training and specialisation in one sport have made these injuries more common in adolescents.

In younger children, a meniscus tear without a clear injury may point to a discoid meniscus. This is a thicker, disc-shaped meniscus present from birth, usually on the outer side, which is more prone to tearing and can cause a loud clunk or clicking.

Signs parents should notice

• Limping or refusing to play after a twisting injury
• Swelling of the knee the next day
• Loud clunking on the outer side when the child bends and straightens the knee
• The knee getting stuck, or the child holding it slightly bent
• Pain on the inner or outer joint line rather than at the front of the knee

Why treatment is different in growing knees

A child's meniscus has a richer blood supply than an adult's, so tears are more likely to heal after repair. Removing meniscus at a young age carries a higher long-term risk of arthritis. For these reasons, knee surgeons repair whenever reasonably possible in children and teenagers, and avoid removing tissue simply for faster return to sport. Surgery is planned carefully around the growth plates.

When to bring your child to a knee surgeon in Doha

Bring a child or teenager for assessment if the knee swelled after an injury, locks or clunks, or if pain stops them playing for more than a week or two. Front-of-knee pain in a growing athlete has other causes, such as Osgood-Schlatter disease, which a careful examination distinguishes. Dr. Gelber sees young athletes and their parents at Aman Hospital.