Q: Six years back I met with an accident due to an impact while jumping that resulted in serious injury to my right knee. The MRI report suggests that my ligaments are alright but there is partial injury to meniscus. The doctor did not suggest an operation at that time. I don't feel pain in my knee, but problem is that sometimes due to wrong footing my knee locks and that results in severe pain and swelling. I can run (jogging), walk and jump from small heights (though I avoid it on my right knee). I want to know if it is necessary for me to undergo an operation to remove injured ligament and is there a possibility of a problem later which may result in arthritis? Can I avoid surgery?

A:The classic signs of meniscal (cartilage) problems are: -Locking of the knee -Swelling of the knee You certainly have any of these and the earlier MRI scan would support an injury to a cartilage. Arthroscopy - looking inside the knee with a camera - can allow the surgeon to trim the cartilage, remove any loose pieces of cartilage or remove the cartilage completely, depending on what they find. The risk of later arthritis depends on how much cartilage is damaged/removed. If the locking of the knee is significantly interfering with your life I would recommend arthroscopy.