Skip to main content

Evaluation of the Menisci

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
The Art of the Musculoskeletal Physical Exam

Abstract

Musculoskeletal problems involving meniscal injuries are common reasons for orthopedic consultation. The clinician should take a complete clinical history and perform a thorough physical examination. A step-by-step and complete physical examination is essential for an accurate diagnosis and optimizing the clinical reasoning for choosing the most appropriate treatment. In this chapter, we describe a step-by-step physical examination of meniscal injury.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 169.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Makris EA, Hadidi P, Athanasiou KA. The knee meniscus: structure-function, pathophysiology, current repair techniques, and prospects for regeneration. Biomaterials. 2011;32:7411–31.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  2. Lauder TD, Baker SP, Smith GS, Lincoln AE. Sports and physical training injury hospitalizations in the army. Am J Prev Med. 2000;18:118–28.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Jones JC, Burks R, Owens BD, Sturdivant RX, Svoboda SJ, Cameron KL. Incidence and risk factors associated with meniscal injuries among active-duty US military service members. J Athl Train. 2012;47:67–73.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  4. Granan LP, Inacio MC, Maletis GB, Funahashi TT, Engebretsen L. Sport-specific injury pattern recorded during anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Am J Sports Med. 2013;41:2814–8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Yan R, Wang H, Yang Z, Ji ZH, Guo YM. Predicted probability of meniscus tears: comparing history and physical examination with MRI. Swiss Med Wkly. 2011;141:w13314.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Hegedus EJ, Cook C, Hasselblad V, Goode A, McCrory DC. Physical examination tests for assessing a torn meniscus in the knee: a systematic review with meta-analysis. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2007;37:541–50.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Smith BE, Thacker D, Crewesmith A, Hall M. Special tests for assessing meniscal tears within the knee: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Evid Based Med. 2015;20:88–97.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Blyth M, Anthony I, Francq B, et al. Diagnostic accuracy of the Thessaly test, standardised clinical history and other clinical examination tests (Apley’s, McMurray's and joint line tenderness) for meniscal tears in comparison with magnetic resonance imaging diagnosis. Health Technol Assess. 2015;19:1–62.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  9. Johnson LL, Johnson AL, Colquitt JA, Simmering MJ, Pittsley AW. Is it possible to make an accurate diagnosis based only on a medical history? A pilot study on women’s knee joints. Arthroscopy. 1996;12:709–14.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Drosos GI, Pozo JL. The causes and mechanisms of meniscal injuries in the sporting and non-sporting environment in an unselected population. Knee. 2004;11:143–9.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Yeh PC, Starkey C, Lombardo S, Vitti G, Kharrazi FD. Epidemiology of isolated meniscal injury and its effect on performance in athletes from the National Basketball Association. Am J Sports Med. 2012;40:589–94.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Andrews JR, Norwood LA Jr, Cross MJ. The double bucket handle tear of the medial meniscus. J Sports Med. 1975;3:232–7.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Meserve BB, Cleland JA, Boucher TR. A meta-analysis examining clinical test utilities for assessing meniscal injury. Clin Rehabil. 2008;22:143–61.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Karachalios T, Hantes M, Zibis AH, Zachos V, Karantanas AH, Malizos KN. Diagnostic accuracy of a new clinical test (the Thessaly test) for early detection of meniscal tears. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2005;87:955–62.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Harrison BK, Abell BE, Gibson TW. The Thessaly test for detection of meniscal tears: validation of a new physical examination technique for primary care medicine. Clin J Sport Med. 2009;19:9–12.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Rossi R, Dettoni F, Bruzzone M, Cottino U, D'Elicio DG, Bonasia DE. Clinical examination of the knee: know your tools for diagnosis of knee injuries. Sports Med Arthrosc Rehabil Ther Technol. 2011;3:25.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  17. Gobbo Rda R, Rangel Vde O, Karam FC, Pires LA. Physical Examinations for Diagnosing Meniscal Injuries: correlation with surgical findings. Rev Bras Ortop. 2011;46:726–9.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Snoeker BA, Lindeboom R, Zwinderman AH, Vincken PW, Jansen JA, Lucas C. Detecting meniscal tears in primary care: reproducibility and accuracy of 2 weight-bearing tests and 1 non-weight-bearing test. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2015;45:693–702.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Akseki D, Özcan Ö, Boya H, Pınar H. A new weight-bearing meniscal test and a comparison with McMurray’s test and joint line tenderness. Arthroscopy. 2004;20:951–8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Muellner T, Weinstabl R, Schabus R, Vecsei V, Kainberger F. The diagnosis of meniscal tears in athletes: a comparison of clinical and magnetic resonance imaging investigations. Am J Sports Med. 1997;25:7–12.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to João Espregueira-Mendes .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2023 ISAKOS

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Silva, L.D., Tscholl, P., Bastos, R., Andrade, R., Espregueira-Mendes, J. (2023). Evaluation of the Menisci. In: Lane, J.G., Gobbi, A., Espregueira-Mendes, J., Kaleka, C.C., Adachi, N. (eds) The Art of the Musculoskeletal Physical Exam. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-24404-9_50

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-24404-9_50

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-24403-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-24404-9

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics