Meniscus Repair: Surgery and Recovery

Meniscus repair is keyhole knee surgery that stitches a suitable torn meniscus so the tissue can heal while rehabilitation gradually restores movement and strength.

The menisci are pads of cartilage between the thighbone and shinbone. They help distribute load and support knee movement. Repair is considered when the tear's location, pattern, tissue quality, and blood supply make healing plausible. An orthopaedic surgeon confirms the plan using your examination and imaging, while also considering symptoms, activity goals, and other knee damage.

Recovery usually involves a protected early phase followed by steadily increasing movement, weight bearing, strength, balance, and task-specific training. A brace or crutches may be used when advised, and knee bending or loading can be limited at first to protect the repair. Physiotherapy then progresses exercises according to swelling, control, strength, and the demands of work or sport. The timetable is individual, so clearance for twisting, running, or competition should come from the surgical and rehabilitation team.

Possible problems include infection, bleeding, blood clots, stiffness, persistent swelling, nerve or blood-vessel irritation, or failure of the meniscus to heal. Symptoms may also come from cartilage or ligament damage that was present at the original injury. Your surgeon should explain which risks apply to your health and operation, how warning signs are handled, and when follow-up occurs. This page does not assign a frequency to complications.

Repair aims to preserve meniscal tissue and relieve symptoms caused by the tear, but it cannot guarantee a symptom-free knee or prevent every future problem. Durability depends on tear characteristics, healing, rehabilitation, alignment, and later loading. Ongoing locking, giving way, swelling, or pain after recovery deserves reassessment rather than assuming the operation has failed.

Repair preserves more of the natural meniscus than removing the damaged portion, but it asks for a more protective rehabilitation period. Not every tear can be stitched. The surgeon may inspect the whole joint and treat findings according to the agreed plan.

Repair may be discussed for a person with symptoms and a tear that appears technically repairable, especially when preserving meniscal tissue supports future knee function. It is not selected from a scan alone. A consultation considers the history, examination, imaging, age and activity context, previous treatment, and whether the symptoms match the [Meniscus Tear](/conditions/meniscus-tear/).

The operation commonly involves these stages:

1. The knee is assessed under anaesthesia and small portals are prepared. 2. An [Arthroscope](/technology/arthroscope/) sends a camera image into the joint. 3. The surgeon checks the meniscus and nearby cartilage and ligaments. 4. The tear is prepared and stabilised with sutures, sometimes using a [Suture Anchor](/materials/suture-anchor/) where appropriate. 5. The instruments are removed, the portals are closed, and a postoperative plan covers protection, pain control, wound care, and rehabilitation.

Early recovery centres on wound care, swelling control, safe transfers, and the permitted knee range. The next phase rebuilds quadriceps control, gait, and functional strength. Later rehabilitation adds balance, hopping, running, cutting, and sport-specific drills only when testing shows adequate control. A [Return-to-Sport Programme](/treatments/physiotherapy-and-rehabilitation/return-to-sport-programme/) can structure that progression.

Contact the surgical team about increasing redness or drainage, fever, worsening calf pain or swelling, uncontrolled pain, or a wound that opens. Seek urgent help for chest pain, sudden breathlessness, or a new cold, pale, or severely painful foot. Follow the discharge instructions for medication and activity because individual risks differ.

Depending on the tear and symptoms, options may include physiotherapy, activity modification, medication advice, observation, or removal of only unstable damaged tissue. That last option is called [Partial Meniscectomy](/treatments/sports-and-arthroscopic-surgery/partial-meniscectomy/). The choice balances tissue preservation, mechanical symptoms, healing potential, and your goals.

Choose an orthopaedic service that explains why repair is suitable, what restrictions are expected, and how rehabilitation will be coordinated. Before consent, ask who will review your wound, how physiotherapy is arranged, what milestones guide progression, and which symptoms need urgent contact.