(905) 737 8777Mon-Fri 9am – 8pmSat 9am – 5pmSunClosed

Meniscal tear – surgery vs physiotherapy

by | May 18, 2026 | Uncategorized | 0 comments

What is a meniscus ?

The meniscus is a piece of cartilage found in the knee. It plays an essential role in knee stability and mobility by acting as a shock absorber. Each knee has two menisci: medial and lateral.

Symptoms of a torn meniscus 

Symptoms of a torn meniscus may appear up to 24 hours after tearing. The most common symptoms include:

  • A popping sensation/sound at the time of tearing

  • Swollen knee

  • Pain that increases if you twist or turn your knee

  • Inability to straighten your leg

  • Knee weakness and instability

How does the meniscus tear?

Meniscal tears are generally categorized into two categories: degenerative and acute. Degenerative tears happen gradually as a result of repetitive force or disease. This type of tear usually affects the medial meniscus. Acute tears happen as a result of sudden and forceful knee rotations and twists and may affect any meniscus.

What are the risk factors for meniscus tears?

Several factors may increase the risk of tearing the meniscus. These include: Degenerative meniscus tear: • Osteoarthritis • Jobs where you frequently kneel, squat, or climb stairs Acute meniscus tear: • Sports where you frequently and suddenly pivot, stop, and/or turn (e.g., basketball) • Lifting a heavy object • Aggressively squatting

Treatment

A torn meniscus is typically treated using either surgery or physiotherapy.

Surgery

The surgery used to repair meniscal tears is called an arthroscopy. It involves cutting out the torn part of the meniscus.

Physiotherapy

Physiotherapy is a non-invasive treatment that usually involves manual therapy and exercise. In recent years, it has become increasingly popular as a stand-alone treatment for a torn meniscus.

The research

The study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine compared the effectiveness of physiotherapy and surgery in treating meniscal tears.

The study included 351 patients over the age of 45. All patients were suffering from a meniscal tear due to osteoarthritis.

The researchers randomly divided participants into one of two treatment groups:

  1. Surgery + Physiotherapy
  2. Physiotherapy

Both groups received biweekly physiotherapy sessions for 6 weeks. Patients in the surgery group underwent a meniscal arthroscopy prior to starting physiotherapy.

Researchers followed up with patients three, 6, and 12 months after the start of treatment. They observed the patient’s pain levels and functional ability.

Results

The researchers found that pain levels decreased, and functional ability increased similarly in both groups. They note that there is “little benefit” of choosing surgery versus physiotherapy as a treatment for meniscal tears (Kamper & Henschke, 2014). Instead, they suggest that physiotherapy should be the first-line treatment for meniscal tears.

References

Kamper, & Henschke, N. (2014). No benefit of surgery over physiotherapy for meniscal tears in adults with knee osteoarthritis. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 48(9), 797–798. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2014-093578