Meniscal injuries and osteoarthritis can present with similar symptoms: knee pain that worsens with activity, swollen joints, feeling unstable, and sometimes stiff. But one of them is a problem of the part of the joint, and the other is a problem of the joint as a whole.
The meniscus is a "cushion" between the tibia (lower leg bone) and the femur (thigh bone), which is half-moon shaped and acts as a cushion, and each knee has two meniscus, medial and lateral, and can be torn when the foot is on the ground and the knee is bent, and when the thigh is twisted or turned. Knee osteoarthritis is a condition in which the smooth cartilage that covers the bones changes, degenerates or wears out, resulting in increased friction in the joints. The lesion location of the two is different, and the method is also different.
Characteristics and location of pain,Osteoarthritis is generally a persistent dull pain, soreness or dull ache, and a torn meniscus is a more severe stabbing pain, which is located on the joint line and has obvious local pain characteristics. Osteoarthritis is a widespread pain that can affect the entire knee joint, and patients often have difficulty locating it with their fingers.
The difference in symptoms,A torn meniscus is more likely to cause swelling in the knee. In osteoarthritis, there may be lap legs or varus knees, and bone spurs or osteophytes may be palpable at the joint line. Meniscus tears tend to make clicking and popping noises and are accompanied by mechanical symptoms of a stuck knee. Osteoarthritis is more likely to produce dull pain, and mechanical symptoms are relatively rare.
Age and genetics,Meniscal tears can occur in people of any age, and osteoarthritis is more common in patients over the age of 50. There is also no evidence of a genetic predisposition to meniscal tears, whereas osteoarthritis is hereditary.
Diagnostics and**,Meniscus tears are usually diagnosed by MRI, and osteoarthritis can be diagnosed by ordinary x-rays. Meniscus tears in younger patients generally require prompt surgery**. Patients with osteoarthritis are mostly conservative**, oral non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, hyaluronic acid injections, occlusive injections, braces and physical **. Surgery should only be considered if all of them are ineffective and symptoms are severe.
There are two kinds of meniscus tears, one is mostly caused by sports injuries in young people, and the other is caused by the degeneration of the body in middle-aged and elderly people. Degenerative tears in the elderly and traumatic tears in young people are two completely different pathologies, and rashly undergoing meniscus surgery may do more harm than good.
Traumatic tears in young people are generally associated with sports injuries, and surgery is the main focus to prevent premature development of osteoarthritis. In the elderly, the meniscus is brittle and thin, with less water content, less elastic fibers, and more complex or flap-like tears, which seem to break at the touch of a touch, and surgery is likely to cause greater damage to the meniscus. In addition, degenerative tears can be considered as part of the development of osteoarthritis, many elderly people already suffer from osteoarthritis, the entire joint has degenerated, cartilage degeneration and damage, surgery is of little significance, the focus is to avoid further loss of meniscus.
Osteoarthritis with degenerative meniscal tears can cause symptoms such as knee pain, popping sounds, locking, jamming, and leg weakness in the absence of obvious trauma, and patients may also notice a decrease in walking endurance and balance, and should seek medical attention promptly.
Medical science, for reference only.