Therapeutic Exercise for the Treatment of Meniscal Lesions in a Young Adult: A Case Report

Meniscal lesions, especially in young individuals, can negatively affect long-term knee health. Hence, the importance of identifying and adequately treating these lesions to improve joint function and reduce the risk of arthritic complications. Although recent and not yet supported by robust literature, non-surgical treatment with therapeutic exercise has been indicated, in the recent Europe-USA Consensus on meniscus rehabilitation, as a valid option for traumatic meniscal lesions. We present the case of a 35-year-old competitive soccer player in lower leagues, diagnosed with a traumatic meniscal lesion. Patient underwent a structured rehabilitation treatment with therapeutic exercise and education for a period of 12 weeks. At the 12-month follow-up, a significant improvement was observed in all patient-reported outcomes, as well as satisfactory levels of safety in physical performance tests for return to sport. Therapeutic exercise had a positive effect in the treatment of traumatic meniscal lesions, allowing the patient to return to pre-injury sport levels. Future, higher-level studies should confirm these findings and focus on identifying ideal candidates for therapeutic exercise treatment.