Meniscus Injuries in Professional Athletes

Each knee has two C-shaped cartilage pads, the medial and lateral menisci, that distribute load across the joint.

Tears are described by pattern — radial, bucket-handle, complex, degenerative — and by location, which determines healing potential.

The outer third has blood supply and can heal or be repaired; the inner portion typically cannot, and torn tissue there is often trimmed away.

• Twisting on a loaded, flexed knee is the classic tear mechanism and is unavoidable in cutting sports.
• Deep squatting positions load the posterior horns heavily.
• Meniscus tears frequently accompany ACL injuries in the same event.

Degenerative meniscal tearing develops from repeated loading rather than one event and fits cumulative-trauma theory well.

Loss of meniscal tissue after trimming accelerates cartilage wear, linking career surgery to later arthritis.

More on how repetitive-exposure claims work: Cumulative trauma explained.

• Catching, locking or clicking in the knee
• Joint-line pain with twisting or squatting
• Recurrent swelling after activity
• Difficulty with stairs and getting up from low seating

• Joint-line tenderness and McMurray-type provocative testing
• MRI for tear pattern, location and remaining meniscal tissue
• Standing X-rays for joint-space narrowing after meniscectomy
• Assessment of associated ligament and cartilage status

• Arthroscopy operative reports specifying how much meniscus was removed or repaired
• Post-operative imaging and follow-up notes
• Team injury reports, athletic training room logs and daily treatment notes
• Team physician and consulting specialist records, including imaging reports
• Surgical operative reports and post-operative rehabilitation notes
• Contracts, transaction history and roster or practice-squad records showing dates of employment
• Post-career medical records from primary care doctors, orthopedists and other specialists

In-career meniscal surgery is generally clear documentation of an industrial knee injury.

Arthritis that follows meniscectomy is frequently evaluated as a consequence of the earlier industrial injury.

Both knees are often involved and are usually evaluated together.

Rules differ by state and by sport. Eligibility factors and types of compensation cover the general framework.

• Therapy and load management
• Injections for pain and swelling
• Arthroscopic debridement or repair
• Arthritis treatment, including eventual replacement in some cases

• Impairment considers motion loss, effusion, arthritis and surgical history.
• Partial meniscectomy is recognized in most rating systems as carrying ongoing consequences.
• Kneeling, squatting and prolonged standing restrictions are common.