Meniscal root avulsion

Written by Dr Sheila Strover on March 14, 2025

A meniscal root avulsion is a tearing away of the meniscal root from the underlying tibial bone. Page updated October 2023 by Dr Sheila Strover (Clinical Editor)

meniscal root avulsion

Avulsion of the meniscal root.

Root avulsion is a precursor to meniscal extrusion

In a meniscal root avulsion the meniscus is initially not damaged and neither is its connections to the capsule around the outer rim - it is just the root that is torn out. If not promptly repaired surgically, however, the meniscus is likely to become incompetent and the joint unstable, and the meniscus may extrude over the edge of the tibial plateau.

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Peer-reviewed papers

  • Posterior meniscal root injuries

    Citation: Moatshe G, Chahla J, Slette E, Engebretsen L, Laprade RF. Posterior meniscal root injuries. Acta Orthop. 2016 Oct;87(5):452-8. doi: 10.1080/17453674.2016.1202945. Epub 2016 Jun 27. PMID: 27347730; PMCID: PMC5016902.

    Quote: "Meniscal root repairs are technically challenging, and anatomic repair is paramount to the success of the surgery. This procedure might be better left to experienced surgeons...Posterior meniscal root tears represent an often overlooked pathology.

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