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If Your Knee Constantly Locks and Swells: Neglected Meniscus Tears Can Lead to Arthritis

If you hear a sudden snap in your knee while walking, feel a sharp pain when going up and down stairs, or experience a sensation that your knee cannot fully straighten or bend, you may need to suspect a meniscus tear. While these often occur when the knee twists during sudden changes in direction, jumping, or squatting during exercise, it is also common in middle-aged and older adults for damage to progress gradually due to degenerative changes without any specific trauma. Many people dismiss this as simple knee discomfort, but neglecting a meniscus tear can adversely affect the entire knee joint and eventually lead to degenerative arthritis, requiring caution.

The meniscus consists of C-shaped cartilage tissues located on the inner and outer sides of the knee joint, playing a key role in absorbing shocks to the knee and stabilizing the joint. When this structure is damaged, the knee's shock absorption function decreases, and the joint cartilage begins to be exposed to direct friction and pressure. Representative symptoms of a meniscus tear include knee pain, swelling, a locking phenomenon where the knee does not fully straighten, and a catching sensation when moving the knee. In particular, if the locking phenomenon repeats, a torn piece of the meniscus may be caught between the joints, making a rapid diagnosis crucial.

Although a meniscus tear may seem unrelated to foot disorders, in reality, alignment problems of the feet and ankles often have a direct impact on the knees. If weight is not evenly distributed during walking due to structural problems of the foot, such as hallux valgus or flat feet, excessive load is concentrated on the inner or outer side of the knee, which can lead to repetitive damage to the meniscus. This is why foot health is directly linked to knee health.

Director Hong-Joon Choi of Seoul Gunwoo Orthopedic Clinic, located near Gangil Station in Gangdong-gu, Seoul, emphasizes, "It is not uncommon for meniscus tears to appear alongside alignment problems of the feet and ankles. To understand the fundamental cause of knee pain, it is important to evaluate not only the knee but also the structure and gait patterns of the feet and ankles together."

For an accurate diagnosis, an MRI scan along with a physical examination is essential. MRI plays a key role in determining the treatment direction by precisely identifying the location, scope, and shape of the meniscus tear. Seoul Gunwoo Orthopedic Clinic operates a university hospital-grade 3.0T MRI to minutely evaluate even fine damage to the cartilage and provides a full explanation while reviewing the test results with the patient. It is a medical principle of Seoul Gunwoo Orthopedic Clinic for patients to accurately understand their own knee condition and decide on the treatment direction together.

The treatment for a meniscus tear varies depending on the degree, location, and shape of the tear, as well as the patient's age and activity level. If the scope of the tear is small and symptoms are not severe, they can be managed through conservative methods such as sufficient rest, physical therapy, and anti-inflammatory medication. However, if the scope of the tear is large, the locking phenomenon repeats, or pain is severe enough to interfere with daily life, surgical treatment should be considered. Surgery is performed using an arthroscope to suture the torn meniscus or partially resect the damaged area. Whenever possible, establishing a treatment plan that preserves the meniscus as much as possible is advantageous for long-term knee health.

Director Choi explains, "Since the meniscus is a tissue that is difficult to recover naturally once damaged, it is important not to miss the timing for treatment. Even if surgery is necessary, the goal of treatment should be to preserve the meniscus as much as possible and fully restore knee function through systematic post-operative rehabilitation."

Post-operative rehabilitation is the final and most important process in treating a meniscus tear. Immediately after surgery, the focus is on managing knee swelling and gradually restoring the joint's range of motion, followed by a process of building strength to support the knee through quadriceps and hamstring strengthening exercises. If rehabilitation is not sufficiently carried out, knee instability may remain or the risk of re-rupture may increase even if the surgical outcome is good. Seoul Gunwoo Orthopedic Clinic manages the entire process through a systematic rehabilitation program so that patients can safely return to daily life and sports activities after surgery.

If knee pain repeats or a sense of locking persists, please do not pass it off as simple fatigue and receive an accurate diagnosis. Director Hong-Joon Choi of Seoul Gunwoo Orthopedic Clinic holds a Ph.D. from Korea University and is a specialist who served as an exchange professor at the Foot and Ankle Center of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), affiliated with Harvard Medical School. Based on his rich clinical experience of treating over 80,000 foot and ankle patients and performing approximately 9,000 surgeries, he is dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of all foot and ankle disorders, including hallux valgus, ankle ligament and cartilage damage, plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendonitis, ankle arthritis, Morton's neuroma, and tailor's bunion. Please receive an accurate diagnosis and customized treatment at Seoul Gunwoo Orthopedic Clinic, which does its best for the health of patients in the Gangdong, Hanam, and Misa areas.

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