J Korean Orthop Assoc.  2024 Feb;59(1):33-41. 10.4055/jkoa.2024.59.1.33 .

Meniscal Tear without Ligament Injury: A Comparative Analysis between Sports and Non-Sports Injuries

• Yoo SI
• Lee SH

• KMID: 2553346
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4055/jkoa.2024.59.1.33

Abstract

Purpose
This study examined the characteristics of meniscal injury occurring in various sports activities.
Materials and Methods
One thousand and ninety cases who underwent arthroscopic surgery for meniscus tear from June 2011 to February 2022 were included. Patients aged 65 years and older and those with previous surgical history, combined ligament injuries, and combined cartilage lesions were excluded. A retrospective analysis was conducted using the magnetic resonance imaging findings, arthroscopic findings, and medical records to analyze the tear pattern, sex, age, body mass index (BMI), and timing of the damage.
Results
Among the cases, sports-related injuries accounted for 273 cases, constituting 32.6% of the total. Of these, 196 cases (71.8%) were male, with an average age of 34.1±15.1 years. The average age was significantly lower, and more males were in the sports injury group than the non-sports injury group (p<0.05). Moreover, acute injuries were observed in 161 cases (59.0%), and injuries with clear traumatic history were present in 176 cases (64.5%), which were significantly higher than in the non-sports injury group (p<0.05). On the other hand, no significant difference in the BMI was observed between the two groups (p=0.810). In the sports injury group, medial meniscus tears exhibited a longitudinal tear in 13 cases (11.0%), which was higher than the non-sports injury group with nine cases (2.9%). Root tears were observed in 11 cases (9.3%) and 58 cases (18.9%) in the sports injury and non-sports injury group, respectively, showing a lower incidence (p=0.004). For lateral meniscus tears, complex tears were significantly higher in the sports injury group at 50 cases (28.6%) compared to 61 cases (19.3%) in the non-sports injury group (p=0.017).
Conclusion
The sports injury group showed a significant prevalence of acute injuries and cases with a clear history of trauma among young males. Regarding tear patterns, longitudinal tears were more common in the medial meniscus, while complex tears were more prevalent in the lateral meniscus. Understanding these injury characteristics will become even more important as the sports population grows.

Keyword

sports injury; knee injury; meniscus