Meniscus Tear - Advice Needed

[Montana Slim]

....screwed up the rest of my previous post, but looks like mule3006elk beat me to it anyway.

I hope you figure it out. Best of luck man.

 

[Poser]

Hearing stuff like this pisses me off. I had a helluva time getting an mri had to jump through a bunch of hoops before I could be approved for the mri I had to have 6 physical therapy sessions before I could be approved for the mri if the pt recommended it I knew my knee was torn I told the pt that He said I don't think its torn When they went to schedule my appointments They asked how far apart I wanted them I was so pissed at this point I said 6 days in a row I wanted to get it done over the winter while I was off work The last two visits they had me doing exercises for " in case I needed surgery"

Yeah, that is frustrating for sure. The whole PT thing seems to be a joke. I just don’t see why you couldn’t go pay $700 to have an MRI the next day.

Anyway, I agree with others that if you have a catch in your knee, you likely have a torn piece of tissue hanging off and that likely needs to be snipped. Your risk for hunting with that condition is that it seizes up on you completely and you can’t walk.

Just yesterday I was out turkey hunting, stepped in some mud while crossing a beaver pond and my knee caved inwards slightly causing my knee to feel misaligned for the next 20 minutes or so with my hamstring tightening up noticeably to compensate for the instability. That is making me think I need to be wearing my knee brace and I probably came out of this best case scenario. That instability really puts you at risk for more severe injury. Put some weight in on your shoulders and the potential for trouble compounds considerably.

 

[Savage99]

Right meniscus repaired. 30% removed, medial. Recovery was good and seems to be better than any other knee surgery (anecdotal, just chatting with others). That was over ten years ago. Left knee bothers some in the same way now. I waited 6months to do the right one and limped around campus in college my last semester.

My ortho told me that I could either deal with it or get the surgery. I tried the former as long as I could and until I had the money.

Mine would kind of lock up once in a while and it killed to do seemingly easy movements. I couldn’t pick my foot up standing from the back. Doc rotated my right ankle (ouch!) and he said then what was later confirmed by MRI.


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[Fireman03]

Meniscus is pretty simple fix, I have had a complete tear and a partial tear, along with a full acl reconstruction. Last meniscus tear, I had fixed through a scope surgery....walked in and walked out of surgery on it. Back too almost full recovery in a month. Physical therapy is key too a good recovery. Now will you maybe have pain down the road......most likely, that's just the nature of knee problems

 

[Mike Islander]

I’ve had 5 meniscus surgeries resulting from a car accident when I was 12. starting with scoping and trimming a few times which basically did nothing other than form scar tissue and numbness. After healing from the 3rd one I could only move the joint about 50 degrees. The forth surgery was with a highly recommended surgeon who decided I needed a lateral release which was the worst. He cut a ligament and casted me in a hyper extended state for 2 weeks, followed by a brace for another 6. Being in that cast made me wish I didn’t have a leg it was that uncomfortable. The last surgery I ended up with a meniscus transplant and finally have as close to a normal knee as I’ve know since pre accident. I’ve met people who claim to have had tears and a scope had them back to normal in a few weeks. That was not my case but hopefully will be yours. I would quit the bandaid shots/drainages and get to a known specialist ASAP and possibly even a second opinion before going under the knife. I believe if I would have had the right surgeon the first time things would have been a lot better for me. Just sitting here I can feel tightness and a certain fatigue in my knee that never goes away. I can do everything I want, run, snowboard, heavy hiking/backpacking, you name it but I always pay with some extent of pain.

I second everything said here except "possibly even a second opinion before going under the knife". I my opinion, not getting a second opinion for something that can so significantly affect the rest of your life is downright irresponsible. You owe it to yourself and your family. If you have to pay for it out of pocket, totally worth it. It's an investment with an incredible ROI, and without it you are putting yourself at unnecessary risk with possible grave consequences.

 

[Ross]

Double digit knee surgeries on one knee here...lots of good info and since my initial acl miniscus tear about 35 yrs ago I have learned way too much about knees.....pick a good orthopedist, get two opinions, miniscus stuff is an easy fix relatively speaking but likely will not take care of itself...if I could have one do over it was the choice of my first surgeon a hatchet job back when they often did not replace your acl which later led to my bigger issues and my current ortho and now long time friend has been playing mop up up duty to help me keep my knee as long as I can. Choose wisely don’t over do things until repaired then be patient on recovery and you will be good for decades to come....good luck .....one further thing stay active and lean the less weight on a bad knee over decades will help

 

[Frankguerra7]

I'm sorry to hear about your Knee i just got through with Tearing my ACL,MCL, and Meniscus in my left knee this past year and honestly for your situation I believe you should find a pretty good knee brace to wear for the time being but if possible strengthen other areas of your body like your abs and back. I have always been pretty athletic and active in the outdoors ranching Buffalo and playing sports but when I tore my knee I was at 285 and all that weight put so much pressure on my knee I hit the gym hard and it took so much pain off of my knee. I'll be praying for you though I hope the best for you!!!

 

[aion2come]

Mike I has some good advice!
unfortunately I'm a pro when it comes to a torn meniscus, and when I say pro it's not a good thing! I'll sum it up as short as I can, Do Tons and tons of research, Not what to do, but, who to talk to. Find the best Dr you possible can, even if that's driving hours. I'm not sure where you live, If you can get to A orthopedic Dr for one of the D1 collages or one of the pro teams do it, even if it's a 6 month waiting list, get on the list, you can always cancel.
I had the clicking pain in my knee, it turned into locking. I went in to our D3 orthopedic surgeon who had a very good reputation,(a town size of 30k) and he did great work on friend's of mine. That guy did so much damage to me, I'll be paying for it the rest of my life!!! My knee locked, I couldn't walk, nothing, I went into the ER on a Friday morning, he sent me home in the same condition, said relax, take some real hot baths and take it easy your knee should slide back in, if it's not better come see me Monday. Nothing changed, They operated Monday, 7 days later rushed into another surgery do to a staph infection. The infection things can happen when you have a surgery. But what screwed me was After I spent 7 days in the hospital for pain controle, and they did almost no PT while I was hospitalized, The average knee needs 115 degrees of motion to walk normal, Mine was at 30. After 6 months on cruches, had to learn how to walk again, and not to mention some of the most I've ever experienced in my life from PT. My knee was encapsulated in scar tissue, everyone's answer was you need to push yourself to your breaking point to bust up the scar tissue, that's the only way things will improve. for 30 days, 5 days a week they strapped me in a passive motion machine and leave me alone for 30 mins with a broom stick to increase the machine when I could handle it. (sounds stupide I know) But when your a 23 year old kid and your Dr and PT tells you what to do you should be able to trust them!

Fast forward a few months, by the grace of God, while in the gym I meet a 19 yrs old girl Who tells me she had a surgery by Dr Patrick McKenzie, He's the Green Bay Packers surgeon and he's now taking walkins.(if a player is down on the field he's one of the guys who runs out, and he's been doing that since the 96 super bowl. They had an opening, the exact day and time of my next scheduled surgery at the vet clinic. I'm in the waited room with one of the Packers starting OL man, I'm thinking okay I'm in good hands finally. First thing he says, Young man, you are in really bad shape, and I'm sorry! He asked what happened, and kept saying, they did what??? Over and over Why did they do that. He didn't want to work on my because of being afraid a lawsuit was coming with my original Dr. I begged him to please try and fix me. A long pause, okay I will, I'll do everything I can, I felt like it was my Dad telling me that. And hedid the best he could with what he had, But because of the infection and lack of PT my knee was already destroyed....

14 yrs later, 7 surgeries I'm 37 and in pain all day everyday, some worse than others. The last scope I had, he said that's it, there's nothing we can do but replace it, you need to wait as long as you can.

Like I was saying find the best Dr you possible can, Not someone who does it all, knees, shoulders, back ect. Find someone who only, or mainly does knees and a lot of them. If you like what you hear, they act like they truely care, and your gut agrees,(DR McKenzie felt like a life long friend, and I trust him with my life) Do what they recommend, fallow PT to the tee, And when you get the Green light, train hard, but smart! Yoga, Pilates, core and you'll be back hunting hard in No time at all!

Sorry so Long winded, I wanted to keep it short. But if I can help someone avoide what delt with. Anyone can PM if they like, or have any qs, I'd be glad to help..

Jamie.

Thanks Jamie! Sorry to hear your story but glad to know you are a Packer! Lived in Appleton for 23 years.

 

[aion2come]

Thanks everyone. See the doc tomorrow. Have had the MRI. The MRI techs said there were two tears - one on the inside and one on the outside, the Dr said he couldn't find either ... which kind of put up a flag for me. There is definitely an issue. Too many stories for me of people regretting surgery. They can't put back what they cut out. So I'm going to talk to him about a brace and then look for a second opinion. Take all the prayers I can get.

 

[Packin_packout]

Get second opinions make sure everything sounds right from the doctors...explain to them what you do. I had a 40 & 70 percent tear as a point of reference. The one that hurt worse was the 40% tear go figure.

Had mine done...both legs after falls during different outdoor activities...one two years, the other last year. The biggest thing is get serious about PT. Find a PT person that is close that you can get to...best of all find one that is associated w/ a sports team or something like that. The lady I worked with rehab for our local NHL team. I explained to her what my normal was. I made it clear that I wanted to push back to full capability. Once she saw I was absolutely serious on following the exercises / icing / stretching she started loading me up. The rehab facilities are used to people that sit at desks...not individuals that are going to do 20 miles in a day packing an elk out ( explained to her loaded / unloaded weights 4 round trips ) and expected vertical (uphill/downhill) and stability issues. I ended paying on my nickel to continue doing PT for another 4 months and it was worth it. I am back running, biking, hiking and packing out elk. It is a lot of work, my knees still get sore but they are stable under load, no snap / crackle pop. I can squat / lunge / jump...If I had stopped at the insurance recommendation limit for PT I would not have been at that point.

In all seriousness good luck it is a very serious decision to do this. Treat it as such.

 

[Paul B]

I had my meniscus surgery on NY eve and have been shed hunting since mid February. They have those done pretty quick now a days

 

[Smallie]

Partially tore my meniscus in my left knee in high school about 12 years ago. Doctor said surgery could do more harm than good so I fought through it. This led to me dealing with knee instability and eventually I dislocated my kneecap 2 years later and basically ended my college baseball career as a position player. After college basically resting and not working out on it/running seemed to help a lot. Still deal with pain and inflammation but stability has greatly increased. I ruck hike with a loaded pack and have had no problems but any running seems to make it flare up on me. I will wear a knee brace if I’m playing any sports though. I just have trust issues with it now and brought a knee brace to Colorado last year just in case but never needed it. I would get a second opinion on it and decide from there. Partial tears seem to have more options rather than a full tear where they usually scope it and can remove it entirely pretty easily

 

[LostArra]

Another anecdote for you. I'm 67 yo and two years ago tore my meniscus packing out an elk on a steep downhill (stupid place to shoot an elk but everyone here gets it). Immediate acute pain while walking. Hunted/limped the next day with my buddy but knew something was really wrong.

Got home. Saw ortho and got MRI all in 24 hours. Immediately after a limpy deer season I had a little arthroscopic cleanup and recovery was totally pain-free. Back on my bike in a week and now I still ride, weight train (squats, deadlift, bench, cleans) and hunt elk and deer pain free. Only recommendation from ortho was no running but that was not a big deal since I'm a cyclist for my aerobic training. (I quit running 10k's - marathons in my 40's)

Remember all knees have lived different lives so they aren't injured the same and they don't heal the same. And all doctors are not the same.

 

[S.Clancy]

I tore my right one running back from the bars drunk in sandals....so stupid. Anyway, mine did not catch, so there was no reason (in my mind) for surgery. It was pretty unstable tho. Basically, I applied strength training and over the course of 3-4 months returned to my previous squat levels, 2-2.3x BW. I have noticed I'm more prone to overuse injuries, mostly tendinitis, in that knee since, but its been 8 years. Strength is a critical component to knee health, in my opinion.
If your knee is catching you really should have surgery. Basically, there's a small piece of meniscus getting caught in your joint as it articulates. I would talk to your doctor and say, cut the little piece out but don't mess with the rest of it. It takes time, but will heal. Just my opinion

 

[aion2come]

Thanks for all the input. It was helpful and eased my mind considerably. Went in for a 2nd opinion as suggested. It just so happens that the former Ortho Dr for the Minnesota Timberwolves just moved to Joplin, MO. Go figure! Anyway, went to him. Will be having my knee scoped by him Thursday morning. Prayer appreciated.

 

[Yukon Cornelius]

Okay, this sucks. Last year I lost my job and it cost me my elk hunt. This year I tore my meniscus and have trouble doing light walking for more than a couple hours (that's without a pack). I go to my orthopedic guy for the third time this week. Had the knee drained and had a shot. Shot didn't help at all. So I'm looking at either surgery and/or a good knee brace.

For clarity, I always have some discomfort if I am upright, but two things play with my head. 1) occasionally something "catches" in the knee and about sends me to the floor. 2) I have a constant feeling like the front of my knee has no support ... this happens when my leg is almost straight. These two things combine to keep me walking tentatively all the time. Not a good combination when I think of packing a load out of the backcountry.

Any suggestions/comments on either would be appreciated. I don't want to miss this Fall and need to get back to working out.

I tore my meniscus and I went a year and half trying to put off diagnosis. I knew something wasn’t right and the two seasons I hunted on it sucked. It limited what I could do tremendously. Finally went in and got a mri. Surgery was planned and it took quite a bit of time to recover (my lab decided to take me out just as I was moving well and set me back 2 months).
Now I’m much better. Don’t delay. If no surgery ain’t working, do it.

 

[Yukon Cornelius]

I went 8 years with a torn meniscus - constant pain, 4 doctors were not helpful over that span. Called it bursitis!

finally got one of the doctors to take an MRI, once they got a picture and gave me options I opted to have it completely removed!

5 years later - All good!Surgeon did say I will likely need a knee replacement in 20 years - till then I’ll take what I can get!

That’s what I dealt with. Not nearly as long. But PT said it was bursitis and gave me some stuff to do. We lived in a small bush community. About 3 months later he asked why I hadn’t been at basketball in awhile. I told him knew was still hurting and he suggest MRI. Our local hospital couldn’t do that and the imaging places would not schedule me without doctor referral and I wasn’t about to pay $1k plane tickets and hotel costs to pay out of pocket. Doctor refused because PT said it was bursitis in December (now it’s May) and he wanted to k ow what I wanted. I think he thought I wanted opioids. I just told him I wanted my knee to stop hurting. We were moving and I said F it. I’ll have new insurance and new job and I’ll tackle it then.
Sometimes people are limited and sometimes doctors just suck.

 

[KNASH]

Every case is unique, I experienced stiffness/weakness at age 52, had MRI, was prescribed Sports Therapy, and was able to run a quality marathon the following year. For me, therapy really improved muscles supporting the knee and reduced repetative stress. If your doctor determines the tear is creating obstruction and must be trimmed, get a second opinion, but surgery will likely help. IIRC, it's unlikely the maniscus can be repaired surgically. Don't discount PT until you've given it some time and effort, i.e. 6 months. Good luck, knee dysfunction is frustrating i.e the "weakest link" effect.

 

[HankNM]

I had torn both of mine. Clicking & feeling like a knife was stuck in at times. Both were getting real bad when I went to a ortho to keep working. He scoped the left & I went deer hunting 2 weeks later,not on his advice...but filled a tag near the cabin. Next year I backpack hunted a few weeks before surgery and made it out in one piece & a buck,but regrettted it.
Both surgeries saved my knees for 20+ years.Still favor the right. Still have weak tendons around knees and use a neoprene brace if it starts feeling sore. I'm not 35 & dumb too now.

 

[sndmn11]

Good luck! I am 35 and had my left knee done once, and my right knee done four times in college. Towards the end of last summer I started getting locked after exercise while sitting/driving and had it scoped the day before Thanksgiving. I had no restrictions after two days and it felt significantly better. I had some fluid in my knee pit stick around for a bit, but I was amazed at the difference in post-op experiences from 15 years ago.