Was the patient able to complete whatever activity he was engaged in at the time of injury. With meniscal injuries, he often is able to do so. He is much less likely to have been able to do so with major ligamentous injuries. With a meniscal tear, one usually gets an effusion which develops several hours after the injury. This contrasts with the hemarthroses of severe ligamentous injuries which usually develop over 1-2 hours.
Recurrent effusions are common with meniscal tears.
With meniscal injuries, the knee tends to give way with twisting motions such as occur when walking on uneven ground. However, the specific motions that give rise to giving way from a meniscal tear are random. Several different motions may sometimes result in giving way, but at other times they do not. This is in contrast to the giving way caused by chronic anterior cruciate tears. In these circumstances, the patient can often tell you that a specific movement always leads to giving way.