Chief Complaint/Injury

Patient is a 19 year-old male NCAA Division I elite wrestler who presented for treatment of a bucket-handle tear of his medial meniscus at the age of 17. As an elite high-school wrestler, his meniscal tear was causing symptoms which led to a request for further evaluation.

Workup/Images

History, physical exam, and MRI were consistent with a displaced bucket-handle tear of the medial meniscus causing mechanical symptoms and pain in hyper-flexion affecting his performance for months.

MRI Meniscal Tear

Surgery

At the time of surgery, his tear was treated arthroscopically by removing the torn and fragmented piece of meniscal cartilage providing restoration of motion and relief from the painful mechanical catching prior to surgery that was inhibiting his performance. If intact and not fragmented, we repair these meniscal tears but if the tissue is too compromised then removal is the best treatment for the patient as repairs will not heal in that setting.

Arthroscopy image meniscal tear wrestler collegiate athlete

Result

Patient works hard on his rehab program and moves on to wrestle in the 165lb weight-class of NCAA Division I. Three years later he was selected as a participant to compete in the 2017 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships.