This was a bucket-handle meniscus tear we encountered in an active young adult. His knee was locked and he could not move, so he needed surgery to repair the meniscus and restore the knee’s range of motion. We followed an aggressive therapy protocol that included immediate weight bearing but restricted knee flexion to a maximum of 90° for the first six weeks. At 10 weeks post-operatively he was back on the court playing basketball.
Not everyone is a candidate for rapid recovery — but with the advancements in all-inside meniscus repair sutures, we are getting more comfortable with rapid return to sport.
Five frames from the OR.
From the locked knee to the all-inside repair to a stable, anatomically reduced meniscus. Hover to pause and study any frame.
Bucket-handle tears in young, active patients are exactly the kind of meniscus tear that benefits from prompt arthroscopic repair — saving meniscus tissue here pays dividends decades later in terms of cartilage preservation.
Learn more in the in-depth article on meniscus tears and arthroscopic surgery.