Knee pain and mobility impairments: meniscal and articular cartilage lesions revision 2018

This 2018 revision of the Orthopaedic Section guideline on knee meniscus and articular cartilage lesions was published in JOSPT. Like the original, it focuses mainly on assessment and rehabilitation after meniscus or cartilage surgery.

It names preferred knee-specific outcome questionnaires, hop tests and a standard set of impairment measures to repeat over an episode of care. For treatment, it supports early progressive knee motion after surgery, progressive weight bearing and return to activity matched to the procedure, and supervised rehabilitation with a home program after meniscectomy.

It recommends supervised, progressive range-of-motion work, knee and hip strengthening and neuromuscular training for both conservative and postoperative care. It also recommends neuromuscular electrical stimulation after meniscus procedures to build quadriceps strength and function.