What is a radial tear of the meniscus?

Radial tear of the meniscus is a tear that is oriented perpendicular to the long circumferential axis of the meniscus. A radial tear of the posterior root medial meniscus (PRMM) is defined as a tear that occurs within 10 mm of the posterior tibial attachment of the medial meniscus. 1)

Is medial meniscus in red zone?

There are two wedge-shaped menisci in the knee, the medial meniscus and the lateral meniscus. They cushion the space between the femur (thigh bone) and the tibia (shin bone). The outside 1/3 of each meniscus has a rich blood supply and is sometimes referred to as the ‘red zone.

What is a red zone meniscus tear?

The red zone refers to the outer third of the meniscus. The term red is used to signify that this zone receives some degree of a blood supply. Meniscal tears in this zone can often be repaired. This is in contrast to the white zone, which refers to the inner two-thirds of the meniscus.

What is a radial tear of the posterior horn of the medial meniscus?

Radial tears of the medial meniscus posterior horn are a unique clinical entity that are associated with older age, females and obesity, and are strongly associated with an increased incidence and severity of cartilage degeneration compared to horizontal tears.

What is a peripheral meniscus tear?

Peripheral meniscal tears are located in the most vascular portion of the menisci and comprise 39–72 \% [2, 3, 56, 69, 82] of all meniscal tears. The younger population, particularly males with knee instability, is most commonly affected by this type of tear [56].

Can a radial meniscus tear heal?

A radial medial meniscus tear in an adult does not usually heal or repair itself, though the tear may thin and stop catching or irritating the cartilage on the ends of the femur and tibia. Once the pain and discomfort associated with spin class and other activities disappears, it should be safe to try running again.

Is a lateral meniscus tear in the red zone?

Tears at the outer edge of the meniscus (the red zone) tend to heal well. Blood supply to tears that extend into the center of the meniscus (white zone) is questionable, and surgical repair of a tear in this zone may not heal well.

What are the three zones of the meniscus?

You can break up the meniscus into three zones, the anterior horn, the body, and the posterior horn. One of the problems the meniscus runs into is that because it is a cartilage, it lacks a certain amount of blood flow to the tissue for proper healing properties.

What causes radial meniscus tear?

Meniscus Tear Causes and Symptoms Often times they occur as a result of a specific trauma such as landing awkwardly from a jump or being tackled in football. Other tears occur over time as a result of degeneration (wearing out) of the cartilage.

What causes a radial tear of the medial meniscus?

Recently, radial tears of the medial meniscus posterior horn have become increasingly recognized. Ozkoc et al.4) reported that this type of meniscal tear is strongly associated with obesity and older age, and is usually accompanied by degenerative chondral damage in the compartment involved.

What are the red zone and white zone of a meniscus?

The red zone is outside and the white zone is inside. Meniscus tears are characterized by their placement within these two zones. A red zone tear lies within the blood-rich portion of the meniscus. Where there is a blood supply there is healing as blood brings the healing and growth factors needed for wound repair.

Can a white zone meniscus tear heal on its own?

The white zone meniscal tear is thought to be non-healing because there is no direct blood supply. Many doctors do not believe the white zone meniscus tear can be repaired because of this. This is typically the part of the meniscus removed in meniscus surgery. If you have a red zone tear,…

What is the difference between a red zone and white zone tear?

The vascular portion is called the “red zone” due to the presence of capillaries in the meniscal tissue. The avascular portion is called the “white zone” due to its absence of blood supply. Red zone tears have the potential to heal and white zone tears will likely never heal.

What is the location of a meniscus tear?

Location of the Tear. Central tears are located on the inner side of the meniscus. This is a part of the meniscus without vascular blood supply and therefore not amenable to repair. Peripheral tear s are located further on the outside of the meniscus, and these are the types of tears that can sometimes be repaired.