Meniscus tears

If you have a chronic, or degenerative, meniscus tear, the good news is that surgery usually isn’t the first step – and may not be needed at all.

For those who don’t have “mechanical” symptoms (for example a knee that is locking, catching, or won’t fully bend or straighten), the best starting point is a structured exercise and physiotherapy program. This kind of rehab can improve functional outcomes, strength, mobility, and is equally as effective as surgery, without the same inherent risks of surgical intervention.

In fact, multiple large studies have found that, on average, people do just as well with physiotherapy alone as they do with surgery followed by rehab. Surgery is still an option if exercise doesn’t help enough or if you develop mechanical symptoms, but a progressive rehabilitation program designed by a physiotherapist is considered the first-line treatment.

Additionally, if you try physiotherapy first and surgery later becomes necessary down the track, postponing it doesn’t seem to affect long-term outcomes.