Symptoms
Symptoms vary with tear type, size, location, and whether arthritis is present. Common symptoms include pain along the inner or outer joint line, swelling, pain with twisting or squatting, catching, clicking, giving way, and difficulty with stairs or sport.
A truly locked knee, where the knee cannot fully straighten because a fragment is displaced into the joint, may suggest a bucket-handle tear and should be assessed promptly. This is different from pain-limited motion or general stiffness.
Some meniscal tears found on MRI are incidental. In older adults, meniscal tears commonly coexist with degenerative cartilage changes; therefore, treatment decisions should be based on symptoms and examination rather than MRI wording alone.