Abstract
Meniscal injuries in the young, active patient are often challenging injuries for
the orthopaedic surgeon whose goal is to provide pain-free return to play/military
duty and preserve maximal meniscal integrity. In the U.S. military, the incidence
rate of meniscal tears is almost 10 times higher than that of the civilian population;
although, the rates of reoperation following meniscal repair are fairly similar. The
decision to pursue meniscal debridement versus repair is multifactorial depending
on tear characteristics, concomitant injury, patient characteristics, and goals. Meniscal
allograft transplantation remains reserved as a salvage procedure but with limited
goals for potential to return to complete unrestricted military duties. The purpose
of this article is to review treatment principles for the military athlete with meniscal
pathology.
Keywords
meniscus - debridement - repair - meniscectomy - knee - arthroscopy
