Last week, I explained how the meniscus could be the cause of your knee locking (unable to straighten out fully). Years ago, your knee locked knee meant major surgery to examine and deal with the torn meniscus.

It is very important to find out the status f the knee meniscus as soon as possible. It is very foolish to keep playing sport if you have this condition. The meniscus has no blood supply of its own, it cannot heal. Once torn always torn. Sometimes the kneee will feel normal but other times it will lock or buckle. It will swell from time to time. If the problem is dealt with early on, then any damage to the ligaments is minimised. There are long term consequences of leaving a orn cartilage in the knee joint - the main one is arthritis later in life.

If you are fortunate to get an appointment with an orthopaedic surgeon early, then most probably, an arthroscope will be used to assist diagnosis. This is like a small telescope that can be inserted into the knee joint. It is a highly accurate, safe, straightforward way to obtain precise information about the status of the joint. It is introduced into the knee through a tiny skin incision. By positioning the knee in various degrees of bend, the complete knee joint can be visualised. A mini camera is attached to the arthroscope.

Small instruments are introduced into the knee. They allow the surgeon to remove the damaged meniscus bit by bit through the incision.

Provided the person receives good follow-up rehabilitation, then the whole procedure is mainly successful.