Meniscal Root Tear

A 58-year-old postmenopausal woman with BMI 33 and mild medial compartment osteoarthritis presents with sudden-onset severe posterior medial knee pain that began while standing from a deep squat. She reports a pop, difficulty descending stairs, inability to squat, and intermittent giving-way. Examination reveals marked tenderness over the posteromedial joint line, positive McMurray test, positive Thessaly test at 20°, and positive root tear test with hyperflexion pain. MRI shows the finding marked **A** in the diagram. Which of the following best describes the pathophysiological consequence of this lesion?