Peeps with trimmed Meniscus....

Had my medial meniscus and some articular cartilage on my Femur trimmed up exactly six weeks ago. I never really had much pain, started riding the wind-trainer on day 4 and have worked out with recovery planned for the ski season. All has gone well, I've had full ROM the whole time and I'm feeling overall fit, skied 3 days last weekend, and have continued on the wind-trainer through the rehab. Yesterday and today, I've had a pain back in the same area as the original injury and I don't know what I might have done to deserve it. Is it common to get some residual pain down the road like this? Is this something I need to worry about, as in did I do it to myself again?

I've had trims on both knees and they do still bother me, one more than the other. It's only specific activities though like running or hiking up and down a lot of chopped trail. Skiing and bike riding don't bother them at all.

Kind of a little sting in a specific area behind your kneecap?

More to the inside. I've had the sting behind the kneecap a little but not lately and that was more like from walking downhill or on a ramp. This pain is a little worse and only came up the past two days. I'm not really going to worry about it at this point. Nothing a handful of Advils and a sixer of PBR can't handle....

i had a lateral meniscus trimmed and it's been nothing but awesomeness since.

I was also walking the day of the surgery. Perhaps my experiences were not "normal."

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Squatch

i had a lateral meniscus trimmed and it's been nothing but awesomeness since.

I was also walking the day of the surgery. Perhaps my experiences were not "normal."

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I should say not. What are doing having surgery on a completely healthy knee?

freak



I wish I could relate to what you said :)

Well, As y'all know, I just had a 'trim' (with a bunch of other sub patellar and sub miniscus cleanup thrown in for good measure....)
I felt relatively 'great' post op. seeing as my last op with the same doc was a doozy...(ACL/PCL/MCL) ,basic total reconstruction of the lower leg, four years ago.
Compared to THAT, this was actually more like a trip to Baskin's and Robbin's, for bubble gum ice cream.
Make no mistake, there was pain and discomfort, but nothing bitch-able without being a bitch. That being said, all surgery is trauma...I ate SO many drugs in the last two weeks, it has been absurd.
Rork did clean up all sorts of goopy/nasty in need of trimming crap, as the photos show...I guess just ten years ago I would have been in a cast/crutch situation for weeks, if not months. I started PT today (two weeks after surgery), and they basically were making fun of me for being out of shape, independently of the knee 'tune-up'.
That was kind of humiliating, but understanding, seeing as I haven't done anything aerobic (or anaroebic) in a few weeks, so naturally I am a weak ass puss puss.
POINT BEING:
DO your rehab. As they tell you. No more, no less, unless they are hacks, and that is your only option.
Good luck, heal well, and enjoy sushi, if you do to begin with.
That is my only salient advice, Rideit

My meniscus trim was also a non-event compared to other knee surgeries. I was hobbling around going into the hospital and walked out. But I still did a lot of rehab, etc.

And I've had some residual pain with it off and on over the years - like most people - once you tear the meniscus you probably did some damage to the articular cartilege too. They clean it up, but it's not nice and smooth like new and that means you have arthritis. Not to mention the fact that you're now missing part of the fat pad that provides cushioning for your knee means it's going to deteriorate faster than it would with it in place. So you're bound to get some pain now and then when you're overdoing it. All you can do is build up the muscles and try and keep your leg strong and avoid unnecessary hard impacts. (i.e. my doc said since I don't want to give up skiing, giving up running is a good idea if I replace it with elliptical/bike/etc.)

running for recreation is absolutley absurd to me, after all my knee and ankle boo-boos. I don't know how pepole can even do it.

Thanks for the replies. Yes, I've given up running too now. Skied yesterday and it feels fine. The pain seems to come and go but stability and ROM are no problem at all so I'm not going to worry about it.

Nice new avatar, rideit!

Running is about the worst thing I can do. That and if I ever end up playing catcher in softball - deep knee bends are BAD news.

I've had residual discomfort ever since I had it done. I think that was 1993 or 1994.