How effective is physiotherapy for a meniscus tear?

The meniscus is a cushion of cartilage inside the knee. A tear can cause pain with twisting or squatting, swelling, stiffness, or catching. Physiotherapy cannot stitch every tear, but it may help when symptoms can be managed without an operation. The assessment considers knee movement, swelling, walking, thigh and hip strength, and whether the knee catches or locks. Treatment may combine gentle motion, progressive strengthening, balance work, and advice about temporarily reducing deep squats, kneeling, or twisting. The best approach depends on the tear, symptoms, activity needs, and findings from a clinician.

Keep exercises within the range advised for your knee and increase load in small stages. Choose low-impact movement while swelling or sharp pain is present, then build toward stairs, squats, work tasks, or sport as control improves. Note whether the knee becomes more swollen later that day or the next morning; that response can guide progression. Avoid repeatedly forcing a catching knee through a painful twist. Share any scan report or previous treatment with the physiotherapist so the plan reflects the whole knee rather than the word tear alone.

Arrange prompt review if the knee locks and cannot fully straighten, gives way repeatedly, or becomes very swollen after a small movement. Seek urgent help after a major injury if you cannot bear weight, the knee is visibly deformed, or the foot becomes cold, pale, or numb. Persistent pain, recurrent swelling, or stalled progress deserves reassessment because ligament, cartilage, or bone problems can coexist.

Ask whether your symptoms suggest a tear that can be managed with rehabilitation, which activities to pause, and how to measure progress. Clarify what locking or swelling should trigger review, and when it is reasonable to resume running, pivoting, kneeling, or lifting.