Torn meniscus

Any activity that causes you to twist or rotate your knee, especially when putting your full weight on it, can cause this common knee injury.

Update Date: 05.11.2026

Overview
Symptoms
When to see a doctor
Causes
Risk factors
Complications
Diagnosis
Imaging tests
Arthroscopy
Treatment
Therapy
Surgery
Self-care
Preparing for your appointment
What you can do

By Mayo Clinic Staff

Overview

A torn meniscus is a common knee injury. It can happen when the knee twists or turns forcefully, especially while bearing weight.

Each knee has two C-shaped pieces of cartilage that cushion the space between the thigh bone and shinbone. When one of those pieces tears, it can cause pain, swelling and stiffness. You also may feel like your knee is stuck or can't fully straighten.

Sometimes rest, ice and medicine are enough to relieve pain and other symptoms without further treatment. For more-serious injuries, such as a bucket handle tear, surgery may be recommended. In a bucket handle tear, the tear runs along the curve of the meniscus.

Torn meniscus

The meniscus is a C-shaped piece of tough, rubbery cartilage that cushions and stabilizes the knee joint between the thigh bone and the shinbone. It can tear if the knee twists suddenly while supporting weight.

Symptoms

If you tear your meniscus, pain and swelling may not appear right away. It can take up to a day or more, especially if the tear is small. Common symptoms include:

  • A popping sound or feeling in your knee.
  • Swelling or stiffness.
  • Pain, especially when twisting or turning your knee.
  • Trouble fully straightening your knee.
  • A feeling that your knee is locked or stuck when you try to move it.
  • A sense that your knee is giving out or can't support your weight.

When to see a doctor

Contact your healthcare professional if your knee is painful or swollen or if you can't move your knee as usual.

Causes

A torn meniscus can happen during any activity that makes the knee twist or rotate forcefully. This includes quick turns, pivots and sudden stops. Even kneeling, deep squatting or lifting something heavy can cause a tear.

In older adults, the knee can wear down over time. This typical aging process can cause the meniscus to tear, even without a clear injury.

Risk factors

You're more likely to tear your meniscus if you take part in activities that involve twisting or pivoting movements. These movements are common in sports such as football, basketball and tennis.

The risk also increases with age and with extra body weight, which adds stress to the knee joint.

Complications

A torn meniscus can make your knee feel unstable, limit your ability to move it and cause ongoing pain. It also can increase your risk of developing osteoarthritis in the affected knee.

Diagnosis

A torn meniscus often is found during a physical exam. Your healthcare professional may move your knee and leg in different ways. They may check for tenderness in the joint and swelling in the knee. Your health professional may watch how you walk and ask you to squat to find the source of your pain or other symptoms.

Imaging tests

  • X-rays. A meniscus tear won't show up on an X-ray because the meniscus is made of cartilage, not bone. However, X-rays can help rule out other issues that cause similar symptoms, such as arthritis. Finding the exact cause of your symptoms is important because treatment can vary depending on the diagnosis.
  • MRI. An MRI uses a strong magnetic field to create detailed pictures of the inside of your knee. It's the best imaging test for spotting a meniscus tear.

Arthroscopy

Sometimes, a healthcare professional may use a tool called an arthroscope to look inside the knee. The arthroscope is a thin tube with a light and camera that's inserted through a small cut near your knee.

The camera sends a clear, enlarged image of the inside of the knee to a monitor. If needed, the healthcare professional can use small surgical tools through the same tiny opening to trim or repair the torn meniscus.

Treatment

Treatment for a torn meniscus typically starts with simple steps that don't involve surgery. This is called conservative care. The right approach to treating a torn meniscus depends on the type, size and location of the tear. And it depends on your age and level of fitness.

If the tear is related to arthritis, it often improves as the arthritis is treated. So surgery usually isn't needed. Many other tears that don't cause locking or major movement issues also get better with time and conservative care.

Your healthcare professional may recommend:

  • Rest. Avoid activities that make your knee hurt, especially twisting, pivoting or rotating movements. If the pain is serious, using crutches can help take pressure off your knee and allow it to heal.
  • Ice. Apply ice to reduce pain and swelling. Use a cold pack, a bag of frozen vegetables or a towel filled with ice for about 15 minutes at a time. Put a thin towel between your skin and the ice. Keep your knee elevated. Apply ice every 4 to 6 hours for the first day or two.
  • Medicine. Pain medicine you can buy without a prescription can help ease knee pain.

Therapy

Physical therapy can strengthen the muscles around your knee and leg, improving stability and support for the joint. This can help reduce pain and prevent future injuries.

Surgery

If pain continues after conservative care and therapy, or if your knee locks or catches, surgery may be recommended. Sometimes, especially in children and younger adults, the torn meniscus can be repaired.

If repair isn't possible, the damaged part of the meniscus may be trimmed using small instruments inserted through tiny cuts near your knee with an arthroscope. After surgery, exercises and physical therapy are needed to rebuild strength and restore motion.

In some cases, if repair or trimming doesn't relieve symptoms and there isn't advanced arthritis, a salvage procedure may be considered. This option aims to preserve as much meniscus function as possible. This typically involves procedures designed to restore stability or cushioning to the knee.

For people with advanced arthritis, a knee replacement may be recommended. For younger people who still have symptoms after surgery but don't have advanced arthritis, a meniscus transplant may be an option. This involves replacing the damaged meniscus with donor tissue.

Self-care

Avoid activities that make your knee pain worse — especially sports or movements that involve twisting or pivoting. Give your knee time to heal before returning to these activities. Applying ice and taking pain medicine you can buy without a prescription also can help lessen pain and swelling.

Preparing for your appointment

Serious pain or difficulty moving your knee may lead you to seek emergency care. If your symptoms are milder, you can make an appointment with your healthcare professional. Depending on your injury, you might be referred to a sports medicine doctor or to a doctor who specializes in bones and joints, called an orthopedic surgeon.

What you can do

Before your appointment, it helps to be ready to answer questions such as:

  • When did the injury happen?
  • What were you doing at the time?
  • Did you hear or feel a pop?
  • How much swelling did you have afterward?
  • Have you injured this knee before?
  • Are your symptoms constant or do they come and go?
  • Are there certain movements that make the pain better or worse?
  • Does your knee ever lock or get stuck when you try to move it?
  • Does your knee ever feel weak or like it might give out?

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