I twisted my knee a couple of months after meniscus repair. Have I torn it again?

Flare or re-tear?

Healing tissue is sore when it is stretched suddenly, so a stumble on a step or a turn in the kitchen can make the knee hurt and swell for a few days even when the repair is intact.

Signs that point more towards a re-tear include a clear catching or locking sensation, a knee that will not fully straighten, swelling that returns every time you increase activity, and sharp pain on the repaired side that does not ease over two to three weeks.

What to do in the first few days

• Go back one step in your rehabilitation: reduce walking distance and stop new exercises
• Use crutches again for a few days if walking makes you limp
• Wear your brace if you still have one, and keep bending within your earlier limits
• Ice, compression and elevation for swelling
• Let your physiotherapist and the surgical team know what happened

How a failed repair is assessed

Dr. Gelber will examine the knee for joint-line tenderness, swelling and mechanical signs. An MRI after repair needs careful reading, because a healed meniscus can still show signal for many months; sometimes an MRI with contrast in the joint is used. The examination and how the knee behaves over time often matter more than the scan alone.

If the repair has not held

Not every repair heals completely, even without a new injury. If symptoms are troublesome, options depend on the tear and the tissue: a revision repair when the meniscus is still good quality, or trimming the unstable part while keeping as much as possible. If an ACL injury was behind the original tear, its stability is checked too. Patients at Aman Hospital in Doha are guided through these options clearly.