Dr. Joshua John-Ram SchacterDr. Joshua Schacter, DO FAAOS, is America’s Holistic Orthopedic Surgeon, with nearly two decades of surgical expertise.

Meniscus Tears Surgery vs Regenerative Medicine

20 May 2026 · 1 min

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In this concise video, Dr. Joshua John‑Ram Schacter explains that the majority of meniscus tears do not require surgical intervention because the meniscus has a limited blood supply and poor intrinsic healing capacity. He highlights that regenerative medicine approaches can reduce inflammation and, in some cases, facilitate actual healing of the tear. The doctor then differentiates the clinical presentation of medial (inner) versus lateral (outer) meniscus tears: a medial tear typically causes pain on the inner side of the knee and may allow the meniscus to flip in and out of the joint, while a lateral tear produces pain on the outer side of the knee accompanied by clicking or popping sensations.

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Most meniscus tears actually don't need surgery. So meniscus itself is a, is a tissue that doesn't heal alone, doesn't have a great blood supply. And so with regenerative medicine, we can reduce the inflammation in the meniscus, and at times there's evidence that we can even get those meniscus tears to heal in some cases. Now, when we have a tear of the inner meniscus, it causes pain on the inside of the joint, and you can see that meniscus in there can flip in and out of the joint. On the outside of the joint, the lateral meniscus is just as likely to tear and can cause pain on the outer portion of the joint, as well as a clicking and popping sensation.