A torn meniscus is a common knee injury that can sideline a football player for several months. Your meniscus provides shock absorption in your knee, and when it is torn it can cause pain and damage to other parts of your knee. Since football requires a player to put excessive pressure on his knees, you should not play right after suffering this injury. With proper rehabilitation and recover time, you should be able to return to the football field.
Meniscus Tear
According to MayoClinic.com, a torn meniscus is one of the most common injuries to the knee. Your meniscus is a C-shaped piece of cartilage in your knee that acts as a cushion between your thighbone and shinbone. You have two menisci in each of your knees. A meniscus can tear when you forcefully twist or rotate your knee, especially when putting your full weight on it. This makes football players are susceptible to this type of injury. When the meniscus tears, you will feel pain, swelling, stiffness and instability in your knee. You should stop any physical activity and seek medical attention immediately to treat the injury.
Treatment
Initial treatment for a torn meniscus is conservative. You should rest your knee and avoid any physical activity. You might need to use crutches to walk. You can ice your knee for 15 minutes at a time every four to six hours to help ease pain and swelling. You also can alleviate pain with over-the-counter pain medication.
If conservative treatments are ineffective, you might need surgery. Football players, who will put excessive stress on their knee once they heal, often opt for surgery to ensure their meniscus heals properly. During the surgery, the meniscus is either repaired or trimmed. Surgeries can be arthroscopic, using a small instrument with a camera that allows surgeons to see inside your knee, or a traditional open surgery, in which you knee is cut open to be worked on.
Rehabilitation
Regardless of whether surgery was required to treat your injury, physical therapy can be a vital part of recovery. It will help strengthen the muscles around your knee to help stabilize and support the joint. You will start with range of motion exercises to restore flexibility in your knee and, when ready, progress to strength training. During this time, you might still require crutches and your doctor might prescribe a knee brace and put your leg in a cast to provide stability.
Football
Playing a physically demanding sport such as football puts a great amount of stress on your knee. You should not participate in football if you have torn your meniscus. In addition, returning too early can prevent your knee from healing and jeopardize your recovery. Therefore it is vital not to return to the field until your doctor allows it. While every patient heals at a different rate, most people require about three to four months to recover from a torn meniscus.
