Does a meniscus tear cause severe pain in the knee?

Question

Hello doctor,

I already have a meniscus tear (grade 1) in my right knee and I just injured my left knee while playing football last week. Unfortunately, I never had any single issue with the left knee up until now and the pain is much worse than when I injured my right knee so I went for an MRI of the left knee today. I have a bad feeling about it. The X-ray in the hospital did not show any bone fracture, so that is why I went for an MRI just to see which ligament is affected. I have attached the images for your reference. Would you be kind enough to take a look at the images and give me your suggestions? Thank you.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I hope you are doing well. I have read your query and would be happy to answer your query. So I have made the following observations after reading your left knee MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) as follows (attachment removed to protect patient's identity).

1. ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) appears bulky, inhomogeneous, and shows an altered signal on PDFS (proton-density fat saturated) imaging suggestive of a tear.

2. Complex tear is noted in the anterior horn of the lateral meniscus.

3. Grade III tear is noted in the posterior horn and body of the medial meniscus.

4. Parameniscal cyst is noted in the medial aspect of the knee joint adjacent to the medial tibial condyle.

5. Bone contusions are noted in bilateral femoral and tibial condyles, more on the lateral aspect.

6. Abnormal PDFS signal is noted in the soft tissues around the joint suggestive of post-traumatic inflammatory changes and edema. These are more evident in the lateral and the posterior aspect of the knee.

7. Moderate joint effusion is noted.

The second image (attachment removed to protect patient's identity) just says view report, MRI preliminary and nothing pops up after that. I hope this helps you.

Thank you.