By Dr. Scott Welsh Your knee has a piece of cartilage that acts as a cushion between your shinbone and your thigh bone. It’s called a meniscus.  Since most of us rely on our knees to perform a variety of activities, you can imagine how easy it might be to tear your meniscus. A torn meniscus can result from any activity that involves twisting or rotating your knee — even kneeling, deep squatting, and heavy lifting. Who’s At Risk for Meniscus Tears? The most common meniscus tears happen in athletes involved in contact sports (like football) or pivoting sports (like snow skiing, basketball, soccer, and