Diagnosis of degenerative meniscal tears

Features of degenerative meniscal tear include new joint-line tenderness and mechanical symptoms such as joint locking and catching; however, these findings are not specific for a meniscal tear.

The presence of joint-line tenderness and loss of full knee extension, as well as positive clinical tests such as the McMurray¹ and Thessaly² tests, are suggestive of meniscal injury but are limited in diagnostic accuracy.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans often report abnormalities of the medial meniscus in people aged 45 years and older who have knee pain, but the findings may not clinically correlate with their symptoms. MRI scan for a suspected degenerative meniscal tear is therefore not recommendedEnglund, 2008.