Torn Meniscus

[FJR1300]

I have a torn meniscus, but I've been fine until tonight. Bad guy got really stupid during a traffic stop earlier and we had a foot pursuit. Good thing I already had an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon for Thursday. Anybody else had to deal with the problem?

[bubba zanetti]

Yup. Ice is your friend. Elevate too. Had the fix and it is much better but have very little cushion left so am very careful these days.

[sleazy rider]

What Bubba said.  Both knees have been repaired and they're better, but I can forecast weather now.   Left knee took me three weeks of recuperation, right was nearly 3 months.  Do your PT.

[Mr. Whippy]

As others have said, a meniscus tear isn't like and ACL tear.  The knee won't be the same.  How good it will be depends on how much they have to remove, how damaged the remainder is and how seriously you do your PT, which will sorta be lifetime now.

If they can tack the whole thing back down, you could have minimal impact.  If they take out a lot, well, hopefully they won't have to take out a lot.  

[CLAY]

I had the other experience- they removed some on Friday, I was on crutches for a weekend, walking after that, and back on it normally in about two weeks.  Just depends how much they take out or what the damage is.  Mine would float into the joint then I couldn't straighten out my knee till I manipulated it around to get the piece out.  

[Blunder]

I had a partially torn miniscus about 22 years ago. Even back then it was an out patient procedure to repair and clean up a few things. Crutches for a week and then 2 weeks of prescribed PT then more on my own. No afteraffects. Didn't even get a cool scar.

[Kneescrubber]

I had a bike wreck in '93 on my R80ST. Very slight tear of the ACL, PCL and medial meniscus of the left knee. They wanted to do a Tommy John type surgery. It would've meant a full year of pt. I asked the doctor what the alternative was and he said I could forego the surgery and spend 6 months of intense pt but the knee would always be "loose" and that would cause wear of the articular cartilage and I'd probably have some arthritis in the knee later on. I elected to not have the surgery and do the pt. It was a full year before I could squat down completely with the left knee.

However, I continued to play softball up until about 5 years ago and I still ride my bicycle almost daily. Yes, the knee is loose but I've never had any issues since.

[Bounce]

Get a good surgeon and follow they post-op instructions to the letter. I had #1 but blew the knee out again when my foot got tangled in something during recovery and flexed the leg too quickly. a POP told me something bad had just happened. post-recovery I'm no longer on crutches but the blue handicap placard tells the rest of the story.

[Eric308]

I had a medial and lateral meniscus tear almost 50 years ago. Had it "repaired" while in the service. That was before the days of arthoscopic surgery and they did an "exploratory" procedure and removed the menisci. After the service (1969) I developed severe degenerative arthritis in the knee joint. It got progressively worse and I was even awarded a service connected disability from the VA. After hobbling around for many years I finally had a total knee replacement in 2006. What a huge relief. All that being said, you will probably need a replacement in later years, and for sure if you develop the arthritis. Good luck with whatever you end up doing. That surgery these days is quick and easy and you'll be walking in a week.

[Jason F.]

Have a partial medial meniscus tear right now. I was training to run a half marathon earlier this year and the right knee was having none of it. It gave up in the middle of a 5 mile run. I also caused a stress fracture in the head of my tibia at the same time.

They elected not to do surgery at this point since it is a partial tear. Most of my pain was from the fracture. Brace and crutches for a few weeks. Limited activity for several more after that. I will probably never run on hard surfaces again but I am slowly getting back to normal otherwise. I can still feel a bit of discomfort after a bit of overuse. I ran the trimmer and mowed the yard Saturday morning and it was a bit sore on Sunday.

[Mr. Whippy]

Have a partial medial meniscus tear right now. I was training to run a half marathon earlier this year and the right knee was having none of it. It gave up in the middle of a 5 mile run. I also caused a stress fracture in the head of my tibia at the same time.

They elected not to do surgery at this point since it is a partial tear. Most of my pain was from the fracture. Brace and crutches for a few weeks. Limited activity for several more after that. I will probably never run on hard surfaces again but I am slowly getting back to normal otherwise. I can still feel a bit of discomfort after a bit of overuse. I ran the trimmer and mowed the yard Saturday morning and it was a bit sore on Sunday.

Since I've started knocking on the 50 year old mark, I decided I wasn't going for best times anymore.  I run in cushioned shoes and run with a short, soft stride.  The time to recovery is just so long, that trimming minutes off a 10K or 1/2 Marathon isn't worth it to me anymore.  I'd rather continue running injury free, even if it means crappy times.

[SuperHans]

I had a large bucket handle tear in my left knee. Had an operation 13 years ago to remove the tear. My knee gets sore on occasion and causes me trouble, but prior to the surgery it would lock up, was extremely inflamed, and painful.

Having talked to a doctor a few years ago he said there is a good chance I will need some type of surgery in the future, but to avoid it as long as possible.

To remove the tear they will have to cut a large piece of meniscus away so you lose a good bit of cushioning effect. Recovery times are usually fairly quick.

[ConPilot1]

Bad guy got really stupid during a traffic stop earlier and we had a foot pursuit.

Dude you're gettin' too old for that kind of crap. Time for a desk job.  

Good luck with that, sounds painful.

I got nothing constructive to add. Ankles? Yes. Knees, never had a problem.

[K2D2]

I had the other experience- they removed some on Friday, I was on crutches for a weekend, walking after that, and back on it normally in about two weeks.  Just depends how much they take out or what the damage is.  Mine would float into the joint then I couldn't straighten out my knee till I manipulated it around to get the piece out.  

I have nothing of value to say.

But Clay, Eww.

[black hills]

had mine cleaned up when they repalced my ACL. according to the doc it was what caused all the pain. they took very little off, if yours is the same it shouldn't be a big deal. As he explained it to me it was like a hangnail, very small piece that when moved out of position causes a lot of pain.  good luck

[Dan K]

Had a lateral meniscus tear about 7 years ago, doc told me I needed surgery.  Conversation went like this...bare with me...

Me:  'Really? Surgery?'  

Doc: "Does it hurt?"

Me: 'I'm here, aren't I? Yes, it hurts.'

Doc: 'It isn't going to get better by itself.'

Well, I didn't have time for surgery, so I blew it off for a couple years.  Was fine in a straight line, but couldn't put weight on it laterally - it would shift, or pop, and give out on me.  Finally figured it was time for surgery - I needed a forced vacation anyway.

Went back to a different doc, he said he needed new MRI before surgery, and lo and behold...it healed.

He showed me the old screen against the new one and how the tear healed up (was only a partial tear).

Some PT and I'm pretty much as good as new.  Weird, ey?

- Dan

[Mr. Whippy]

Had a lateral meniscus tear about 7 years ago, doc told me I needed surgery.  Conversation went like this...bare with me...

Me:  'Really? Surgery?'  

Doc: "Does it hurt?"

Me: 'I'm here, aren't I? Yes, it hurts.'

Doc: 'It isn't going to get better by itself.'

Well, I didn't have time for surgery, so I blew it off for a couple years.  Was fine in a straight line, but couldn't put weight on it laterally - it would shift, or pop, and give out on me.  Finally figured it was time for surgery - I needed a forced vacation anyway.

Went back to a different doc, he said he needed new MRI before surgery, and lo and behold...it healed.

He showed me the old screen against the new one and how the tear healed up (was only a partial tear).

Some PT and I'm pretty much as good as new.  Weird, ey?

- Dan

Well, basically the cartilage has to scar back down to the surrounding capsule/bursa.  If the flap of meniscus is small and you were careful, it may have stayed in the proper place long enough to scar back down.  If tears are small enough, often they'll tack it back down with a stitch or 2, facilitating the scarring process.  Should have bought a lottery ticket!

[FJR1300]

The MRI shows a complete tear of the medial meniscus.

[Hoochie Papa]

Left knee- 7 years ago got my spur hung up in the flank strap. Torn ACL, PCL, and LCL.
Right knee- 12 years ago bull did not turn out of chute. Gate post moved my kneecap over to the side. Broke a bone in there and medium tearing of MCL. (Just found out about that a few months ago.)
Right knee- Trampoline. Knee goes out to side. ACL torn and Medial meniscus vertical tear.

Been living with knee braces for a long time. This July, right knee gets fixed, and in August, the left.  Freedom soon.

[Carbonero]

I have a torn meniscus, but I've been fine until tonight. Bad guy got really stupid during a traffic stop earlier and we had a foot pursuit. Good thing I already had an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon for Thursday. Anybody else had to deal with the problem?

Yes.

It can cause several problems, from minor swelling and aches to severe pain and joint lock. It's not fun at all. Problem is, left on its own, it will not heal. There's no direct blood flow to the meniscus. It has to be corrected surgically, usually by cutting out the "flap" of the torn bits and chamfering the edge(s).

It's usually a pretty quick recovery if it's just dealing with that, though some people's knees are more prone to swelling and fluid retention post surgery.

Good luck. Should be a pretty simple outpatient visit.