Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Pain on inside knee joint often means meniscus tear in dogs
By McDonald, Daniel J et al.·Published in The Veterinary record·2025·North Coast Veterinary Specialist and Referral Centre, Australia·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Medial joint line tenderness is an indicator for meniscal injuries in dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with cranial cruciate ligament disease was examined for pain when their stifle joint was pressed on the inside. The results showed that dogs experiencing pain in this area were much more likely to have a tear in the medial meniscus, which is a cartilage in the knee. This finding suggests that if your dog shows tenderness when this part of the joint is touched, it could indicate a more serious injury. Treatment often involves surgery to repair the meniscus, and recognizing this symptom early can help improve outcomes for your pet.
People also search for: dog knee pain · signs of meniscus tear in dogs · cranial cruciate ligament disease treatment
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Medial meniscal injury is an important aspect of cranial cruciate ligament disease in dogs. This study examines whether caudomedial joint line palpation of the stifle is correlated with medial meniscal injury in canine stifles with concurrent cranial cruciate ligament disease. METHODS: A total of 91 dogs (97 stifles) presenting with cranial cruciate ligament disease were assessed by palpation of the caudomedial joint line of the affected stifle by a single surgeon. Surgery was then performed to assess for injury to the medial meniscus. The odds of dogs with pain on palpation having a medial meniscal tear were then calculated, with the significance level set at p-value of 0.05. RESULTS: Dogs showing pain on caudomedial joint palpation had 34.5 times (95% confidence interval 9.7‒125) greater odds of having a medial meniscal tear. Pain on caudomedial joint line palpation had a sensitivity of 0.86, specificity of 0.85, positive predictive value of 0.94, negative predictive value of 0.70 and accuracy of 0.86 for identifying dogs with a medial meniscal tear. LIMITATIONS: The amount of pressure placed on the caudomedial joint line was not assessed and a control group was not included. CONCLUSION: Medial joint line tenderness has a significant relationship with medial meniscal tear in dogs with cranial cruciate ligament disease.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39562498/