JJ Mcarthy, injured his right knee in week one of the preseason ending his rookie season with the Minnesota Vikings.  This injury required right knee meniscal repair surgery.  The Vikings have elected to put him on injured reserve making him miss his entire rookie season.

Meniscal repair surgery has a longer rehabilitation time after surgery compared to meniscal debridement surgery which typically has a return to sport of approximately 2 to 4 weeks.  This is because an adequate amount of time for healing of the meniscus as well as limiting motion are both important to prevent retear.  Return to sport after meniscal repair surgery can take 4 to 10 months depending on exact surgery and the surgeons preferred protocol.  Retear rates after meniscal repair surgery can be between 10 to 30% depending on the size of the meniscus tear as well as the location of the meniscus tear.  Meniscal tears closer to the periphery of the meniscus have a better healing potential due to blood supply in the meniscus in its outer third.  Techniques using multiple divergent vertically placed sutures at the time of the repair improves meniscal repair success.  Using specialized techniques such as marrow stimulation or a fibrin clot can help improve the healing potential of the meniscus at the time of surgery.  

A Total Orthopedics and Sports Medicine we have sports medicine specialists with significant experience in meniscal repair surgery as well as additional techniques to stimulate meniscal healing improving an athlete’s ability to return at their previous level.