anyone have a meniscus REPAIR?

[beaterdit]

I'm a day over nine weeks right now. Doc says no running or jumping type activities for six months (ie: coming off the mtn bike). I figure I'll get in some mellow rides toward the end of the summer though. Till then, Doc doesn't even want me doing real climbs on the roadie for at least another three weeks, depending on how I feel. At that point I'll be three months so we'll see how it goes.

By the way, your new avatar is somewhat less disturbing, thanks.

[upallnight]

I'm a day over nine weeks right now. Doc says no running or jumping type activities for six months (ie: coming off the mtn bike). I figure I'll get in some mellow rides toward the end of the summer though. Till then, Doc doesn't even want me doing real climbs on the roadie for at least another three weeks, depending on how I feel. At that point I'll be three months so we'll see how it goes.

By the way, your new avatar is somewhat less disturbing, thanks.

So...is he holding you back 6 months because of the meniscus? At 3 mo, the tissue is about as healed as it ever will. (ACL graft is something different altogether.)

He may know something about your injury that is making him overly cautious. Also, he may just be protecting you (too much?)...but at 3 months you should be able to sensibly get back into things. That doesn't mean going over the bars on a gnarly descent on your MTB, but it could mean sensible rides on trail where you are aware of your leg and don't do anything insane.

(I've taken a couple tumbles off my bike already (singletrack lined with bushes/brush...so soft falls), and things were OK. Kind of good to get that "If I fall I will immediately tear my knee up again" feeling out of the mind.)

[TNKen]

Blew up my medial meniscus in April of 2005 playing volleyball. I'm not a spring chicken, was 48 at the time. Doc tried the "let's see what happens" route. No go. Played in a V-ball tourney and killed it the rest of the way.

Surgery in July, 2005. Doc said to do as much as I could. Was walking unassisted when I got home from surgery, you don't realize the entire knee joint is juiced up with a numbing agent. That wore off shortly and I went to a single crutch. Finally got off the crutch about a week later. No PT required, not much reason to do so if you keep it moving. Lived on Lortab and Advil for a few days. Ice pack and elevate the knee. After about 3 weeks, I could get around pretty good. 8 weeks to walk half way normal.

Skiied last season, and was OK for up to 2 days. After 2 days, day 3 got painful. Lived on Advil through the season.

A year later, there isn't a day that goes by that I don't realize I have no cushion in my left knee joint.

You've got to understand that the meniscus acts as the cushion between the fingers of the femur and the head of the tibia. At the present time, there is no know replacement for the meniscus, short of full blown knee joint replacement. Different types of "fusing" lasers were tried, but unsuccessful.


Good luck,

Ken

[upallnight]

Thanks for posting, TNKen. Yeah...having to get the tissue removed is something I'm hoping to avoid -- but who knows?

It's amazing to me that you were able to walk out of surgery and didn't even have to do PT.

I think the issues with recovery from repair vs removal are vastly different, but I'm sure each is challenging in its own way.

My doc seems to think that in one year I won't remember which knee I injured. I feel strength and endurance coming back, but I'm lacking in explosive power (e.g., jumping rope one one leg). Something to work on.

I read somewhere that they are developing artificial cartilage. Wonder how far off that is. I hope it's in time to save all of our ski careers.

[altagirl]

Thanks for posting, TNKen. Yeah...having to get the tissue removed is something I'm hoping to avoid -- but who knows?

It's amazing to me that you were able to walk out of surgery and didn't even have to do PT.

I think the issues with recovery from repair vs removal are vastly different, but I'm sure each is challenging in its own way.

My doc seems to think that in one year I won't remember which knee I injured. I feel strength and endurance coming back, but I'm lacking in explosive power (e.g., jumping rope one one leg). Something to work on.

I read somewhere that they are developing artificial cartilage. Wonder how far off that is. I hope it's in time to save all of our ski careers.

Yeah - very different. I had a partial menisectomy on my other knee a few years ago - I walked out of the hospital feeling better than I did when I hobbled in. VERY easy recovery compared to the meniscus repair this past spring.

[upallnight]

Yeah - very different. I had a partial menisectomy on my other knee a few years ago - I walked out of the hospital feeling better than I did when I hobbled in. VERY easy recovery compared to the meniscus repair this past spring.

how's your recovery coming along, AG?

[altagirl]

how's your recovery coming along, AG?

Eh - okay. I've been running into more problems with the other knee lately - IT bands (both legs actually) keep tightening up so bad it pulls my patellas off to the side and then if I do anything very repetitive (elliptical, XC riding), it really hurts later. But DH is starting to feel WAY better. And we rode motos this weekend, which was a workout (I have sore muscles I haven't felt in a long time...)

I need to buy one of those foam rollers. I've been doing stretches and massage, etc. but it only seems to help for a few hours and the IT bands are tight again. I've never run into this before. Guess it's not that big of a deal, it's just... annoying at this point.

[upallnight]

sorry to hear, but it sounds like the repair itself went well for you (good to hear).

foam roller? for stretching?

when i go out biking, i seem to feel pretty sore for the first 5-10 minutes, but then i kind of get into a groove & the knee feels better.

attempting to jump rope (even jump off of one leg -- which was/is super-hard) helped m out with downhill riding. seems like all those little jolts don't feel so bad after jumping rope.

[upallnight]

just posting an update. it's been a little over 4 months since my injury (and surgery the following day).

i'm focused on building strength and endurance, and it's going quite well. i'm startging to get a little bit of dynamic power (side-to-side jumps with an intermediate step on an unstable surface/BOSU ball), and i'm doing squats with some moderate weight. hamstring curls are happening, too, with weights that are approaching what i could do with my uninjured leg (lost some strength in that one from not being fully active).

i'm doing tons of biking...about 5-600 road miles/month (+ MTB rides), some hiking with a weighted pack...and i need to get out and do a few runs. running anything longer than 1/4 mile is tough on the joint, but i think that's simply because i have to break through a soreness barrier.

for the first time the other day, i felt like, 'wow...i really could ski on this knee.'

it's nice to start feeling your endurance and strength coming back -- just a few months ago (heck, even 6 weeks ago) these statements were unimaginable.

i hope that anyone who stumbles upon this thread and has to go through a repair finds a light at the end of the tunnel.

[Trackhead]

Good thread, as I may be walking (crutching) down this road very soon.

My left knee will not fully extend after hiking down Timp the other day and experiencing some sharp pain in the knee. Then again today while twisting while talking on the phone, of all things.

Going to an ortho as soon as I can make an appointment after this night shift.
Hopefully it's nothing, but it doesn't feel that way.

[upallnight]

crap. hope it turns out to be nothing significant, TH.

again, i hope that sharing this info provides something helpful.

[kidwoo]

Good thread, as I may be walking (crutching) down this road very soon.

My left knee will not fully extend after hiking down Timp the other day and experiencing some sharp pain in the knee. Then again today while twisting while talking on the phone, of all things.

Hate to say it but that sounds about right. The first one I had was after my knee locked up (more to pain than anything) during rowing practive (crew stuff). I had to get lifted out of the boat because I literally couldn't extend it without it feeling like sea urchin climbing around in my knee.

[GoldMember]

I just came across this thread too. I'm seeing an ortho on Thursday. After our Mt. Adams trip in July, my knee has had some achiness, stiffness, and sharp pains from time to time. It's not all the time but is getting to where it's more consistent. I was thinking that I'd probably get it snipped in mid-October, have a 3 week recovery, and be ready to ski by mid-November. This thread, while very informative, has me pretty concerned right now. I don't want to miss this winter! I'm guessing that at my age (50), they will probably be looking at trimming it rather than repair. I know that's the second choice behind repair but I doubt I would have significant healing at this point. Now I'm really going to have to think about the outcomes that are possible. Thanks for giving me a good list of questions to ask my ortho. I'll post what I learn after my visit.

[LeeLau]

I had a slight meniscus tear; did PT then keep re-injuring it by hiking. The "reinjury" manifests itself in localized pain on inner and and outer parts of the knee towards the front of the knee. The pain is not great but is much more noticeable towards the ends of the Range of Motion - ie fully contracted or extended. I fear hyperextending my knee will blow it out. I really fear skiing and having to be careful or ski with "fear".

I got lazy with PT and am going to get back into hamstring and IT-band stretches and squats to improve strength and maybe go back to the doc for a look-see

[upallnight]

for what it's worth, at 5 months post-op i was hiking with an 80# pack up garnet canyon to the lower saddle. (one-way: 6 miles, 4,500' of elevation gain, ~3h)

knee felt pretty good handling more weight than before.

dumped the gear up there and walked out with an empty pack, which also felt better than before.

[upallnight]

I just came across this thread too. I'm seeing an ortho on Thursday. After our Mt. Adams trip in July, my knee has had some achiness, stiffness, and sharp pains from time to time. It's not all the time but is getting to where it's more consistent. I was thinking that I'd probably get it snipped in mid-October, have a 3 week recovery, and be ready to ski by mid-November. This thread, while very informative, has me pretty concerned right now. I don't want to miss this winter! I'm guessing that at my age (50), they will probably be looking at trimming it rather than repair. I know that's the second choice behind repair but I doubt I would have significant healing at this point. Now I'm really going to have to think about the outcomes that are possible. Thanks for giving me a good list of questions to ask my ortho. I'll post what I learn after my visit.

GM: I hope it turns out well, and I'm glad you find the thread useful. This thread contains information that I learned and wish I had known from day 1.

Please note that a "trim" is very different from a repair, so don't be discouraged by the long-and-winding road described in this thread.

I've been told that repairs require some good fortune (in terms of location of the tear near a blood-saturated part of the tissue...as well as timing/not waiting too long), so you *may* be beyond that point. However, the "trim" can have you one your feet pretty quick.

Curious for your results.

[upallnight]

Going to an ortho as soon as I can make an appointment after this night shift.
Hopefully it's nothing, but it doesn't feel that way.

TH: What happened at the ortho?

*pulling for ya*

[ruhiks]

2 with 2 acl's. Ah fuk it, thrash 'em if ya got 'em.

[upallnight]

2 with 2 acl's. Ah fuk it, thrash 'em if ya got 'em.

did you have repairs or removals?

i think i posted this in another thread, but the success rate of meniscus repairs is higher for those who did it at the same time they injured their ACL.

[Trackhead]

TH: What happened at the ortho?

*pulling for ya*

Well, I woke up after night shift and made an appointment for friday. But I work in an ER, and ran across the ortho doc here tonight. He did his exam and gave me the "you likely have a medial meniscus tear". He wrote the Rx for the MRI, which I will call for scheduling tomorrow.

Little bugger of a knee is pretty sore today. Pretty well gimped. Can't walk for shit, as I can't extend my leg fully.

So fuck it, if it's a flapper, I'll do what it takes to get it right. It sucks, but worse things could happen. I guess if I'm gimped for a while I'll have plenty of time to not jones on the early season rock gardens with dustings of snow, and editing time will be plentiful.

[upallnight]

well, i'm still hoping for the best for you. even with my tear/repair, i felt strong enough that i would want to get back on snow within 4 months post-op...which puts you at (only) mid-january.

[GoldMember]

Went to my ortho last Thursday. He took x-rays and moved the knee around. He says everything actually looks pretty good so far as bone structure and ligament tension goes; no surface wearing or other issues like that. However, he thinks the medial meniscus is probably torn and wants me to get an MRI. I'm scheduling that this week so, more to follow...

[GoldMember]

Shit! As I suspected, torn anterior medial meniscus. Had my MRI last night and got the call a few minutes ago. It's not reparable and will be a trim. I'm scheduling the surgery for October 20. Wierd, in 40 years of skiing, I've never had a serious injury to my legs. I don't even really know what I did to it to cause the tear. Anyone able to tell me their recovery experience from the trim? My ortho said 10 days to two weeks and I should be fine. Anyone have any other advice?

[atomicboy]

Shit! As I suspected, torn anterior medial meniscus. Had my MRI last night and got the call a few minutes ago. It's not reparable and will be a trim. I'm scheduling the surgery for October 20. Wierd, in 40 years of skiing, I've never had a serious injury to my legs. I don't even really know what I did to it to cause the tear. Anyone able to tell me their recovery experience from the trim? My ortho said 10 days to two weeks and I should be fine. Anyone have any other advice?

That sounds about right. I had about 7% trimmed from my knee in mid July and I walked out to the car. Day three after all meds are gone in the knee it was a little soar. After one week the swelling was still there but had no problems. Ice and massage the scar tissue a couple of times a day to break it up. After one month swelling gone and the knee was back to normal with no limitations.

The only unfortunate thing is I herniated a disc L5/s1 and have been messed up for a couple of months and cannot do strenging exercises for the legs. The disc issue is almost past and would like to get going.

[GoldMember]

Hey, thanks for the information. That sounds pretty much like I expect. I was thinking probably 3 weeks recovery. That places me to be ready when the season starts here. I don't know yet exactly how much is torn and the ortho also qualified my recovery as being "depending on what else we find in there.....". That comment kind of makes me nervous but, I have full ROM without restriction right now and the pain isn't terrible so I don't think there's anything else going on. I'm still riding my bike and have been walking a bunch. I'm just avoiding running because that does tend to hurt.