How I Repair a Meniscus Root Tear
In this video, I walk you through another meniscus case: a meniscus root repair on the lateral side of the knee.
Why a root tear matters
A meniscus root tear is a different problem from a typical tear in the body of the meniscus. The root is where the meniscus anchors to the tibia — and when that anchor point tears away, the meniscus essentially defunctions. It's still there, but it can no longer do its job of spreading load evenly across the knee. Functionally, an unrepaired root tear behaves almost like having no meniscus at all in that compartment.
Preparing the footprint
The first step is preparing the meniscus root's insertion site on the tibia — using a shaver and a curette to create a clean, bleeding bone surface for the repair to heal onto.
Passing the Sutures
I then pass sutures through the meniscus root itself using specialised suture-passing equipment.
Anchoring the root back to bone
This is the step that makes root repair distinct from other meniscus repairs. Using specialised jigs, I drill a tunnel through the tibia (the shin bone) at the anatomical root footprint. The sutures are then passed out through this tunnel, shuttling the meniscus root repair sutures down into the bone tunnel.
Once through, the root is pulled down and fixed to the tibia at its native attachment point. I then reinforce this repair further with an all-inside device, giving the construct added security.
The outcome
The before-and-after picture shows it plainly: the meniscus root, previously torn away, is now repaired down firmly onto the tibia — restored to its original anatomical position where it can resume bearing load.
Root tears are easy to miss and easy to under-treat, but restoring that anchor point is what protects the knee's cartilage over the long run.
This repair is meant to put the root back where it belongs, and building the knee's stability on that foundation.
If you have any questions before your surgery, feel free to ask me.