COIMBATORE: For city-based 22-year-old gymnastics enthusiast Shravan, while practice sessions can be testing and exhilarating, minor injuries are part of daily workout regime. A slight miscalculation during a summersault led him to land hard on the ground and he experience excruciating pain.
What followed was a popping sensation in the knee, noticeable swelling, and difficulty while bending and straightening the leg. On examination by the doctor, it was found that he suffered a minor tear in the meniscus, which is a C-shaped tough tissue cartilage located between the thigh and shin bone joint.
The condition can be experienced even when an individual changes direction while running, resulting in a crack in the knee causing the meniscus to tear. A majority of patients who experience it do not seek medical help and resort to home remedies like pain balms.
Elaborating, Dr David Rajan orthopaedic consultant at 'Ortho One Orthopaedic Specialty Centre' said, "while injuries in the outer one-third part of meniscus gets healed naturally due to rich blood supply, the inner portion lacks blood supply and nutrients and hence needs medical attention."
