Meniscus and cartilage injuries
Also called: knee cartilage and meniscus tears
Damage to the cushioning cartilage inside the knee, often from twisting, that can cause pain, swelling or catching.
Where the evidence stands
- 1 clinical practice guideline — start there.
- 6 recent reviews (systematic reviews and meta-analyses) and 6 recent randomized trials shown below.
- Most recent publication here: Oct 1, 2026.
Outcome measures clinicians use to track progress: Lower Extremity Functional Scale (LEFS), Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS).
Clinical practice guideline
- Knee Pain and Mobility Impairments: Meniscal and Articular Cartilage Lesions Revision 2018 ↗
AOPT's guideline on physical therapist diagnosis, examination, and treatment of meniscal and articular cartilage lesions of the knee.
Systematic reviews and meta-analyses
Studies of studies — each pools the results of many trials.
- Prevalence of Reporting Bias in Abstracts of Meniscal Transplant Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: Increased Association With Study Age: A Systematic Review
- Physical rehabilitation strategies for young volleyball players post-meniscectomy for enhancing return-to-sport (RTS): a systematic review
- Efficacy of decellularized extracellular matrix (dECM) for articular cartilage repair in osteoarthritis (OA): a systematic review and meta-analysis
- Long-term effects of exercise therapy versus arthroscopic partial meniscectomy for degenerative meniscal tear: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
- Physical Therapist Interventions Versus or Combined With Surgical Treatment in Nontraumatic Degenerative Meniscal Pathology: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis
- Rehabilitation after Repair of Medial Meniscus Posterior Root Tears: A Systematic Review of the Literature
Recent randomized trials
Newest first. Single trials are building blocks; weigh them against the reviews.
- Impact of Internet+ Rehabilitation on Arthroscopic Treatment Outcomes for Knee Meniscal Injuries and Factors Influencing Knee Osteoarthritis
- Initiating Rehabilitation With Open Versus Closed Kinetic Chain Exercises in Patients With Degenerative Meniscal Tears: A Randomized Controlled Trial
- Effect of aerobic exercise of different intensity on articular cartilage metabolism in patients with knee osteoarthritis: A randomized controlled trial
- Effects of Patient Portal Message Framing on Treatment Preferences and Expectations for Degenerative Meniscus Tears: Randomized Exploratory Cross-Sectional Survey Study
- Kinesiology Taping in Grade I-II Meniscus Injuries: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Pilot Trial
- A Randomized Trial of Physical Therapy for Meniscal Tear and Knee Pain
Studies without a summary yet get one the first time a Limbic member opens them, or within a few days.