It seems like knee medial meniscal tears has become an epidemic in my family. I have two sisters, a mother, and an aunt who ALL had surgery for this problem in the last 18 months. They each tore the back corner of the meniscus on the side closest to the other knee. Maybe there's some significance to that clue. Most of my relatives are pretty overweight so it doesn't really surprise me that this happened. But just to be on the safe side, what can I do to avoid this problem?
Older age (50 or older) and being overweight are two key risk factors for medial meniscal tears. Other potential risk factors studied have included patient age, sex, findings on X-rays, activity level, occupation, and a history of previous injuries. Research has provided us evidence that it's mostly intrinsic factors (not lifestyle) that increase the risk of the type of meniscus tears that you mentioned (medial meniscus posterior root tearsorthotics (special inserts made for inside the shoes). A prescribed program of exercise, posture, and alignment supervised by a physical therapist may also be helpful.
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