Most orthopaedic surgeries have good success rates, and patients return to their sport or exercise. That fact doesn’t mean that every surgery will result in full healing without a setback. In this Ask Dr. Geier video, I discuss how some surgeries fail for one of the most common injuries in sports medicine. How can you tell if your meniscus repair didn’t heal?

Tim in Alberta asks:
I had a meniscus repair surgery done January 27 of this year. The knee will not extend. It becomes locked at a certain point. They put me under and tried to straighten it, but it failed. I am just wondering if this guy botched my meniscus repair. I still can’t extend the knee fully or bend it back.

Meniscus tears of the knee can affect active people from adolescents to older adults. Surgical options include trimming out the torn portion of the meniscus and actually sewing the tear back together. For the ones that can be repaired, we know that a decent percentage don’t heal. In this video, I explain why some meniscus repairs don’t heal despite proper surgical technique and rehab and what to do if your meniscus repair didn’t heal.

Is it possible a meniscus repair didn't heal?
A suture and meniscal anchor try to sew the meniscus back together.

Also read:
Ask Dr. Geier – Failure rates of meniscus repairs
Ask Dr. Geier – Do you need surgery for a meniscus tear?

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