Torn Meniscus

[mkerzie]

So I just got the unfortunate news I tore the meniscus is my right knee requiring orthoscopic surgery. Dr. is estimating 6 weeks of recovery. Has anyone had this procedure done before and if so, how long did it take before you were skiing the course again?

[mkerzie]

are you back to 100%. Ive heard so many awful things about knee surgeries.. Im a little skeptical. I know its not a replacement and is an 'outpatient' procedure so its not horribly invasive.

[mkerzie]

thanks for the feedback Scot

[The_MS]

They just make a small cut and go in and clean out the torn material. You will be fine after its over. Ride the bike. It really helps build up the strength around the knee. You dont need long rides, just pump up the blood flow and build up the muscle. 80% of people over 35 have torn menicus and dont even know it.

[MrJones]

I haven't had the surgery, but have rehab'ed this surgery in the triple digits. Return to sports is based on your function. Some people are really fast. We had a High School football player back on the field in 2 weeks last Fall. (Not typical nor do I recommend it BTW) If you are M3 or above that will likely not be the case.

 

If your swelling and pain are well controlled, you have full ROM and good strength, and most importantly feel that you can function normally on the knee then you will be ready to go back. 4-6 weeks is a good rule of thumb, but it may be longer. It will be a long time before you will know how good it will ultimately be, but you should be functional at 4-6.

[ForrestGump]

Had my knee scoped on 11/18. I walked to my truck and never used crutches. 9 days later I was back in Crossfit doing light workouts.

[Kelvin]

How is your pain level? I injured my front knee in May a few years back. Had it diagnosed as a torn meniscus in August, but kept skiing on it the remainder of the season. In November the pain got worse and scheduled surgery for early January. By following the rehab plan, I was good to go when the water warmed up in March/April - never missed a day of skiing.

[Stevie Boy]

Invest in a good brace, and continue to wear it, have torn mine three times, I should have worn a good brace to protect it, worth protecting it, if you do not other knee compartments become vunerable, I have been there and done it, do not follow in my footsteps, it hurts.

I have now purchased a Don Joy Armour, make sure you get the correct fitting, if your legs are good ( Straight ) you can buy off the shelf.

[Razorskier1]

Of all the bad things that can happen to a knee, this one isn't so bad. Rehab well and keep the muscles strong and you will be fine.

[jefflyman]

@ mkerzie, so how did it happen? skiing? what boots? Good luck to you on the recovery.

[Bruce_Butterfield]

I had mine done in 2004. They took out a thumbnail size piece of the meniscus that was flapping in the breeze. It was noticeably better the day after the surgery. It was November and I never did need crutches to get around. I think I was on the bike in 2-3 days and worked the rehab hard, and on the water in March. Today, its a minor irritation vs something that would have essentially ended my skiing.

 

Orthoscopic surgery can be the aging athlete's savior.

[A_B]

Had mine done right before Thanksgiving as well. A flap that when in the joint, hurt like heck, then would flap out of the joint and almost instantly feel better (not normal though). Actually did it last January 2011. Skied with it last summer, although, I am probably just recreational compared to a few years ago. Within a month, was pretty much walking without a limp or anything noticeable, and the elyptical was a good safe way to get going again.

 

My son had a tear on the inner part of meniscus and Dr. tried to fix without removing tissue. That takes 2 months of very limited activity. Kids heal 70-80% of the time, where an old fart like me, Dr. said just take tissue out. removing tissue is a much shorter mend time. Unfortunately, my son didn't heal and he is headed back next Friday, and will probably get the tissure removed. Hope he recovers soon, as football is around the corner. Dr said 2 weeks for cuts to heal and he should be able to start light workouts and then ramp it up.

 

Internal tears have more limited blood flow and take longer to heal, where a tear on the outer rim gets more blood and heals faster and better.

 

So, is your tear on the outside or inside? Makes a difference in heal time..

[xrated]

Good luck, like everyone said you should be fine. Be glad it is only 6 weeks, I am going in for a labreal tear in my hip June 1 and it is 6 weeks non-weight bearing and 6 months, no ski, no dirt bike, no motorcycle, no quad and no snowmobile.

[ForrestGump]

xrated, I've got a labral tear right now. I went to a couple of surgeons. I found that there are very few sports ortho surgeons who really specialize in hip injuries. All of the "hip doctors" wanted to operate. While they specialized in hip surgery, they were used to treating older patients where generally they ripped and replaced. The surgeon I did find who specialized in treating runners where the labral tear is most prominent didn't. He said that if he MRI'd 100 elite athletes of different disciplines, 50 of them would have labral tears and 45 of those wouldn't know it. He said the only time he'd operate is if A) it really effected day to day life like walking or sleeping or B) I couldn't do my sport. He put me on PT with a PT who specialized in this type of injury and celebrex for a month and then wanted to re-evaluate. After 10 days, it's already better. He said the one athlete where he typically does operate to fix the labral tear is the runner because they will keep hitting that spot in the upward travel of their knee and it will stay inflamed.

 

When I realized I had this issue and developed a problem with the way my previous surgeon was treating me(felt like I was in a patient mill), I said to myself that if I had to I would go to another state to find the right hip doctor. Turns out, I found him an hour away. Lance Armstrong's Livestrong organization actually turned me onto him. He spent 45 minutes with me, actually viewed the MRI images without first seeing the radiologist report so he could form his own opinion of the injury, did Xrays in positions that none of the other surgeons did. Interestingly enough, he was on the Redskins superbowl team in 91, then retired from football and went to med school. So he was an elite athlete prior to becoming a surgeon. Which might explain his different take on things.

[xrated]

@ShaneH

 

Was that by chance Haddock or something like that? Big offensive lineman? If it was you are seeing a great guy, he was one of my favorite residents to work with.

 

I'm lucky enough to have Mayo Clinic at my disposal and when I started having problems I went right to a surgeon who specializes in labreal tears and FAI(femoral acetabular impingement) as I also have an impingement. Prior to seeing him I did a couple rounds of rx anti-inflammatorys that eased but didn't solve the pain. Got the x-rays(basic views to me, but I am an x-ray tech) and met with the ortho.

 

He had me do the 6 weeks of PT and it was helping but not making it better. So I out and out asked him how often PT was successful and he told me he has had 1 patient that it fixed the problem.

 

Next step was an MRI with Gad and a mild steroid injected into the hip. It was amazing, the hip felt 100% for a few days, then it got pissed off again. Sat down with him and he showed me the scan(his results/reading was much different then the radiologist report) and he showed me a tear, a spot where the cartilage was wearing and a small spot of arthritis. Interestingly enough he told me something like 80 out of 100 people you could get an MRI of and find a tear. The key was that the injection erased the pain. I know he is a surgeon and he likes to fix things, but he said at my age and being active the surgery was a good idea. I agreed as I have seen in my own work and read about how the FAI (basically my hip socket and femur don't fit perfect and every time I abduct my leg it rubs) will keep rubbing away at the hip joint leading to arthristis, which I have all ready, and a hip replacement way to early in life(I'm 28). So I guess I have a bit more then just a tear as the other half of surgery will be reshaping my bones but I do trust that I am going to one of the best surgeons Dr Levy in the country for this problem.

[ForrestGump]

Addickes is who I'm seeing. Must be the same one as he did his orthopedic residency at Mayo and is not a small man by any means. :) Sounds like you're covered. I was just surprised at how you could find a real sports oriented surgeon for everything but hips. They seem to be few and far between. If you have a knee, wrist, or shoulder issue, you can find a specialist damn near under any rock. When I told myself I'd look outside of Houston for the right doctor, Levy was on my list.

[mkerzie]

Thanks for all the replies guys.. your feedback is greatly appreciated

[xrated]

@ShaneH yeah that is the guy I was thinking of. Been a few years and I just got off the 3rd shift this morning so my name recollection skills weren't so good. He was a good resident and a really nice guy (which is hard to find in ortho residents when you are x-ray).

[MZito]

I have had the same knee surgery done 2x on the same knee. Both times for a meniscus tear. I was playing hockey at the time of the 1st one and was back on the ice in 15 days. The second tear (same knee as the 1st) was not as fast of a recovery. I ended up tearing the remaining lateral meniscus and the Ortho ended up taking the entire later meniscus out...The good, no more stabbing pain and no more knee locks. The bad, I am bone on bone and there is alway a little discomfort. I was back being active (Hockey, Skiing, and Kettle-bell training) with in 8 weeks.

 

Good luck with yours!