The incidence of meniscal tears associated with acute anterior cruciate ligament disruption secondary to snow skiing accidents

In the acutely traumatized knee, meniscal tears are commonly encountered with an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. Because of the high incidence of ACL injuries related to snow skiing, a retrospective study was conducted to determine the incidence and location of concomitant meniscal injuries in a series of 328 acute ACL tears resulting from snow-skiing accidents. Seventy-five (23%) of the ACL injuries had coexistent meniscal injuries--43 (13%) lateral and 32 (10%) medial menisci. Thirty-two (43%) of the 75 meniscal tears were peripheral detachments from the capsule (red-red tears), which often heal without surgical intervention. Findings from this study indicate that the incidence of meniscal damage in acute knee injuries secondary to snow skiing accidents is substantially lower than in knee injuries sustained during other sports activities, which range from 53% to 65% in previous studies.