Incidence and Risk Factors Associated with Meniscal Injuries Among Active-Duty US Military Service Members (Original Research) (Report‪)‬

The menisci in the medial and lateral tibiofemoral compartments of the knee are critical to normal joint function. (1) The primary function of the meniscus is to assist with distributing compressive forces during dynamic knee joint movements and static loading. (2,3) In addition, the menisci also play important roles in knee joint lubrication and proprioception and serve as secondary joint stabilizers. (4-6) Meniscal injuries in the knee can compromise joint function and lead to increased contact pressures in the affected compartment. (7) Meniscal injuries have also been associated with long-term dysfunction, degenerative joint changes, and osteoarthritis in the knee. (8,9) Injuries to the menisci in the knee that necessitate surgery are commonly reported in both the general (10) and physically active populations, (11) and approximately 1 million meniscal surgeries are performed in the United States annually. (12) Lohmander et al (8) noted that the cumulative risk of a meniscal injury that necessitates surgery in patients between the ages of 10 and 64 years may be as high as 15%, but this estimate does not include injuries that are not diagnosed or are treated nonoperatively. Although these studies provide crude estimates of the incidence of meniscal injury, they offer some insight into the magnitude and burden of this clinical problem. Precise population-based estimates of the incidence of symptomatic meniscal tears are less available and more difficult to ascertain, and the available data on the incidence of meniscal injuries probably underestimate the true incidence of meniscal tears. (8)