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Submitted by: Bart - SII

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A complex tear simply means that there is tearing in two or more directions. When you think of the meniscus, you have to visualize it as a 3-d structure - longitudinal tears go from the top to the bottom of the meniscus...horizontal tears go from side to side. Imagine the meniscus like a sponge. If you poked a knife through the sponge from the top to bottom, this would be a longitudinal tear. If you poked the knife through the side of the sponge toward the middle, this would be a horizontal tear. If you cut the edge of the sponge with the knife, this would be similiar to a radial tear, which occurs at the periphery. To say it is complex means he probably has a combination of a radial tear and another type, perhaps longitudinal or horizontal, but the radial tear is the major part. The posterior horn refers to the position of the tear along the "C" shape of the meniscus - the edges of the "C" make up the horns, either toward the front of the body (anterior) or toward the back (posterior). With all of that said, the chances of him being able to return to sports are very good. He is young, active, and meniscus tears are usually treated very successfully with arthroscopic surgery - and the recovery time is relatively short - usually 6-8 weeks for a full recovery. Bart

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