Radiographic evidence of osteoarthritis usually precede rupture. Once complete rupture occurs, the progression of the osteoarthritis is accelerated. Even after surgical repair, osteoarthritis progresses albeit at a slower rate than if no repair is done. Medial meniscal damage is commonly associated with CCL rupture. The medial meniscus is firmly attached to the tibial plateau and is therefore crushed when cranial drawer occurs.
Meniscal injuries can have a variety of conformations but the caudal pole is most commonly involved.
Note that the lateral meniscus is caudally attached to the femur via the menisco-femoral ligament. This allows it to move caudally with the femur and avoid being crushed by the condyle. The medial meniscus is attached to the tibia caudally and is trapped under the femoral condyle when the stifle is in cranial drawer.