Knee MRI results question

[deejays2]

I had a MRI done last. The Doctor said I would need surgery to correct the tear. If not a rupture could happen.  
There were 4 things on the results. Can you tell me what each one mean.
1. Subtle oblique signal of the medial meniscal body appears to involve the undersurface concerning for nondisplaced tearing.
2. Distal quadriceps strain with focal tearing at the insertion. Intact fibers are evident.
3. Mild tricompartmental chondromalacia. Small joint effusion and trace popliteal cyst.
4. Mild marrow edema of a patella probably represents mild marrow contusion given recent trauma. Stree reaction can have a similar appearance.

thank you for your help

[Paxiled]

I'm sure someone on here will know something about this. The results were written up by the radiologist at the facility where you got your MRI and this is his or her conclusion as to what the MRI showed.  Surgeons don't necessarily agree with radiologists and vice versa, so it's usually not a bad idea when you get an MRI and a surgical opinion to talk to the radiologist if the facility allows this to explain the MRI, ask your surgeon to explain in detail what the MRI shows, and get a second opinion from a second highly respected surgeon who specializes in knee surgery.  From my own knee problems, you have some evidence of a tear of your meniscus, but not conclusive evidence.  You also appear to have injured your quads doing whatever it was you did that hurt your knee.  Lots of folks have cysts, sometimes it means something, sometimes it doesn't.  Your patella tendon is also showing some stress, but apparently from the injury.  Whether you need surgery or not is sometimes only evident once you're already having surgery, which isn't great but it is what it is -- when they get in there with a camera they can see better.  But by then they're already in there.  So get a second opinion, but first, if you need better explanations, go back and ask both your surgeon and, if they let you, the radiologist what this all means to you.  I did this when a surgeon looked at a knee I had reinjured.  I had already been referred to physical therapy for it, so when it happened again some years later and surgery was recommended, I was surprised, I expected to be sent to the PT I didn't do the first time around because other stuff happened that was more important and the knee stopped hurting.  I went to the radiologist who told me he saw no tear in the meniscus and if it were him he wouldn't get surgery so I didn't, but I can't tell you the knee got better, it didn't, I still can't run anymore, but it's probably not a meniscus problem.  You might have one.  You also will profit by studying up on meniscus surgery if that's what has been recommended because there are different kinds.  One is quick and most get back quickly to doing stuff but then they just hurt he knee again because it's not a very thorough repair.  The second type is a more involved repair that takes a lot longer to rehab from but usually fixes the knee a lot better.  I hope this has been helpful, even if it doesn't tell you what you have.

[deejays2]

Thank you. When they said surgery I kind of went blank. I have made a follow-up visit to ask question.