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What is a Knee joint Cartilage Tear?
The two types of knee joint cartilage tears include traumatic and degenerative tears.
Traumatic tears occur through twisting injuries of the knee and degenerative tears occur over time through wear and tear on the joint.
Do Cartilage Tears heal?
It depends on the location and severity of the tear. The meniscus (cartilage) generally has poor blood supply. The outside one third portion of the meniscus had some blood supply, which may give tears in this location a chance to heal. However, the inside two thirds has no blood flow, therefore tears in this region have no chance to heal. These tend to require arthroscopic surgery.
How do you treat knee joint cartilage tears?
Small meniscal tears, or tears in the area receiving good blood supply can respond well to physiotherapy.
Physiotherapy treatment for meniscal tears aims to decrease the pain and inflammation in the joint, restore normal movement around the joint and muscle length. Physiotherapy will improve the strength of the hamstrings and quadriceps and hip muscles. Physiotherapy will also correct any longstanding biomechanical issues surrounding the knee joint.
Overall, the knee joint will improve in function and will have a reduced chance of re-injury.
How long does a knee joint cartilage tear take to heal?
Meniscal tears generally take 6-8 weeks to heal, although some meniscal tears require surgery. Your physiotherapist is the best person to guide you on the most appropriate course of action to recover. Typically, avoiding high impact activities that stress the joint whilst seeing your physiotherapist is key to a optimal outcome.
If you suffer from knee pain or knee injurt, it is advisable to start treatment straight away. Your physiotherapist has numerous tricks that can help to quickly relieve your knee pain and muscle spasm.
If you have suffered knee pain or stiffness for a month or more, your GP may be able to refer you to a physiotherapist in Sydney as the causes and treatment of knee stiffness can be treated effectively at any time.
If you are not sure what to do, please contact Sydney Physio Solutions for advice or to make an appointment with one of our knee physiotherapists.
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