Impact of surgical timing on meniscal healing and knee function recovery in patients undergoing arthroscopic meniscal repair.

To evaluate the effect of surgical timing on meniscal healing, knee function recovery, and adverse events in patients undergoing arthroscopic meniscal repair. A retrospective study of 260 patients treated at Putuo Hospital between February 2020 and August 2024 was conducted. Patients were divided into an early surgery group (≤4 weeks, n=148) and a late surgery group (>4 weeks, n=112). Data from electronic records and follow-up notes included baseline characteristics (age, gender, BMI), surgical indicators (operation time, hospital stay, costs), healing status assessed by 6-month postoperative MRI (complete, partial, or non-healing), functional scores (Lysholm, Tegner, International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC)), VAS pain levels, adverse events, and prognosis. Statistical analysis included chi-square tests, t-tests, Mann-Whitney U tests, repeated measures ANOVA, and logistic regression, with interaction analysis examining the effects of age, BMI, and surgical timing. The early surgery group showed significantly higher rates of complete healing (66.22% vs. 43.75%, P<0.001) and overall healing (93.92% vs. 85.71%, P=0.026), with lower non-healing rates (6.08% vs. 14.29%) compared to the late surgery group. At 3 and 6 months post-surgery, the early group exhibited better Lysholm, Tegner, and IKDC scores, along with lower Visual Analog Scale (VAS) pain scores (all P<0.001). Logistic regression identified surgical timing (OR=0.054, 95% CI: 0.024-0.111, P<0.001), age (OR=0.22, 95% CI: 0.107-0.429, P<0.001), and BMI (OR=0.266, 95% CI: 0.135-0.507, P<0.001) as risk factors for poor recovery, with interaction analysis revealing significant effects of surgical timing (P<0.001) and age (P=0.006). Early surgery (≤4 weeks) significantly improves healing rates, enhances knee function, and reduces pain, without increasing adverse events. Our findings highlight surgical timing, age, and BMI as key predictors of recovery outcomes, with early intervention resulting in marked functional improvements.