Ruined Knee?

[JPD350]

Your meniscus sounds like what I had. June 3rd 2020 I had it cleaned up, they took about 30% of it. They told me 4 to 8 weeks and I should be good to go, 8 weeks later I was still wondering WTF. I had a Gila wilderness elk tag for Sept and only one month left so I worked hard with rehab and put on a 85 lb pack and packed my camp in, killed a bull opening morning and packed it out for 2 days and I haven't looked back. I am very conscientious about it so I don't hurt it again because there are things that can bother it but I just try not to do them.

My knee absolutely did not like being spread apart and worked on!!

 

[Marble]

I do not have insight with the knee.

But I injured my shoulder enough I would not have been able to shoot a bow again and would have had a really hard time with other activities. It would fall out of socket if I didn't hold it in.

Find a good surgeon, with a good post surgery protocol and understand you will probably have to always do some sort of physical therapy forever on your own. Along with whatever the doctors recommends for post surgery.

Find a surgeon that does knees. Not a general surgeon that has done knees.

Travel... as far as needed..

I've been there and done that withwith surgery regarding cancer two times and my shoulder once. Choose wisely.



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[Sled]

Get numbers 1 and 2 fixed. 3 goes away on its own in 4 to 6 weeks if you don't push it. Number 4 goes away after you fix 1 and 2.

I'm no doc but see my fair share of knee injuries fixed and at time of injury.

At least one of my crew gets a knee scoped each year, a couple have ACL surgery and several have MCL/LCL tears (grade 3 or less). The longer you go with a meniscus tear the more scar tissue you'll get.

 

[LoneStar]

Agree with what Ridley said above...get your knees as strong as possible and also the muscles surrounding them. I tore my ACL about 15 years ago and didn't realize it for a few months. I thought I just needed more work. I used the stairmaster to strengthen my legs and then had surgery about 9 months after the injury. I was back walking gingerly within a week, stationary bike in 2 wks, and jogging on a treadmill in less than a month. It's been 15 years and I lift 3-4 times a week and run 3-5 miles 3 days/wk. I am not a small guy at 6'1" 210lbs and my knees hold up great in the mountains. The doc who replaced my ACL was the Orthopedic Surgeon for the local college sports teams. Find a good doc and strengthen your legs!

 

[Kevin Dill]

I'm thinking there are 2 factors which will make arthroscopic surgery more likely for me. The first is that I have a complex tear of the meniscus. The second is that I'm 3 months post-injury and I still experience pain which makes normal walking impossible. Driving a vehicle 30 minutes is impossible without 8/10 pain. I can't possibly get on an atv or motorcycle.

But I'm assimilating information. Opinions, research, anecdotes and experiences....it builds my knowledge base.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Sorry to hear about your injury, Kevin.

I haven’t had any similar enough to offer specific advice, I would generally suggest (1) not to delay the surgery too long and (2) try to “preHab” if pain levels permit. Delaying the surgery with that kind of pain will cause you to generally de-condition and the joint in particular will lose some strength and integrity. You’ll also risk injuring other areas - hips, other knee and back = by favoring the injury. The prehab generally lends to better and faster surgical outcomes, but again, it is pain dependent.

 

[Kevin Dill]

^^ Absolutely. ^^

I've already developed tendinitis secondary to my altered / abnormal gait and movements to protect the knee from hurting. On some days I hurt from my hip to mid-calf.

 

[LostArra]

I experienced the "instant and severe" limping knee injury on an elk hunt 5 years ago. I can remember the exact step that injury occurred while packing my elk down a steep slope without trekking poles that I had left at camp (never again). Bad meniscus tear. I had arthroscopic surgery within 4 weeks and was pain-free immediately and have remained so.

 

[streetdoctor]

Tore my meniscus at work last year. If you’re in Colorado see Dr Boublik at Steadman’s. He’s the bronco’s knee doc. He recommended it be cleaned up. I was back at work in 3 weeks as a firefighter.

 

[Turkeygetpwnd38]

I’ve had torn MCLs in both knees, ACL in one and pretty sure I have a meniscus tear currently. Good advice here, my only other advice would be to strengthen the muscles in your legs as much as possible before any surgery. I was able to play sports on a torn ACL because I did so much PT I built the muscles up in my leg enough to partially compensate for it (with a brace of course).
Your pain level and mobility will limit, but the stronger you can build up before the better off you are going to be.

 

[5MilesBack]

I've had some knee surgeries. And years of playing sports eventually takes a toll on joints as well. My knees hate elk season, every year. I tell them to shut up and keep going. One of these years they're going to tell me they're done. Just yesterday I was walking around the house and was limping. I said "my knee feels swollen".........pulled up my pant leg.....and it was. Didn't do anything to it, haven't done anything remotely aggressive in the last week......but it's suddenly swollen. It feels like I just got back to camp from a long day in the mountains.

If something can be repaired......fix it. But eventually, just like the rest of our body, they'll just wear out.

 

[smoke]

Sorry to hear about your knee issues Kevin. I'm 61 and tore the meniscus in both knees over the years. The first time I was in my 30s and had the knee scoped - still rock solid to this day. I had my other knee scoped last year. It is pretty good but probably in the 90 percent range of what it was prior to the injury. Still a bit of pain if I push too hard but very functional. Recovery time for the last one was about 2 months which is about twice as long as the first time. You seem like a pretty active guy and I doubt you would have any difficulty recovering - Best wishes on this - we need you out there at 100%!

 

[T28w]

I know u are a long ways away and not sure how the surgeons are there but we r lucky to have what we have in Alabama. Lyle Cain in bham who was with dr andrews, who did any and every athlete that needed knee surgery it seemed like. Cain did my brothers knee which was bad. He as a scar 8-10 inches above and below knee. It seemed everything was torn and pretty bad meniscus damage. He was young so don’t know how much of a diff in the surgeons treating younger and older guys. Don’t know if Andrews still treats but still used to see him on the sideline at auburn football games. May be worth a second opinion if u aren’t happy with someone closer.
Quick google search of these two will give you more info than I can. Good luck with knee.

 

[TxxAgg]

This thread is nightmare fuel. I'm 34. My left knee is weak due to some minor IT band irritation on that side. Should I chuck my skis in the land fill and never look back? Pick up wolf hunting and give the middle finger to snow sports? Middle age sucks. Everything hurts. Naps feel good. Hangovers happen after beer two. Less than 8 hrs sleep makes for a BS day. Blood pressure is a number on my radar. Coffee is a requirement for life. Kill me now. I don't want to be 70.

Hahaha I'm living this now at 39. Recently had a disc replaced in my neck. Everything hurts. Hangovers are a given. Need way more sleep than I used to. I really have to watch what I eat or I feel gross.

 

[Scoot]

I'll add that I have no intention of handing this decision and my future over to a doc....even one I trust. I intend to go into it with eyes open and full of questions so I can make good dedecisions.

I couldn't agree more! I didn't mean to hand over any decision making about your health to someone else. But starting with someone who is really good and whose info can can be trusted is a great place to start. Sounds like you're on a good path with a good plan.

 

[Kevin Dill]

Based on what I'm reading I feel like I've been both lucky and durable. I recall decades ago when I had much knee pain for several years it seemed. I did the best I could and it finally disappeared. I've been free of ANY knee issues for decades, and darned happy about it.

I believe the main thing I need to stress to my physician is the importance of my lifestyle. I'm anything but sedentary. We own a farm and that means....well...everyone knows what it means. I obviously ride and that's important to my wife and I. Hunting in remote country is something I've done forever. Wrangling trucks, trailers, dogs, supplies and so on is a typical thing. I'm a hurrier on my feet...my wife often comments that I move faster than anyone around me. I jump off tailgates....you get the picture. Knowing what I do and want to continue doing is going to play a role in deciding the best course for treating my knee. I definitely am realizing there'll be a long-term commitment to therapy and appropriate exercises.

Scoot....you may have misinterpreted the tone of my words in that post. I agree with your posted thoughts and 100% appreciate the advice.

 

[Sccritterkiller]

Get it fixed...tore my meniscus during turkey season and hobbled around till Nov. I tried putting it off and finally it got to point the pain would wake me up when I would roll over in my sleep. Immediately better after surgery...had it done middle of Dec and I was in my waders duck hunting the coast by Jan. Had zero issues since. Putting it off was maybe one of the dumbest things I have done.

 

[rayporter]

my family doc and my chiropractor know my lifestyle but i dont know if i have conveyed that to the back doc and the ortho. when that horse fell on me 2 years ago he did know how it happened and i made it clear i wanted to continue all outdoor activities. but you dont know if they really get it.

i will add that at 65 i still thought i had a big red S on my chest.
now past 70 i dont think they look at me the same.

 

[Scoot]

Sounds like I was agreeing with your agreeing! Haha! Good luck- I had knee work done 2 years ago and I've been able to not miss a beat afterwards (so far). Not 100%, but probably 95% and I can live with that. I hope you have a great outcome.

 

[Minute_of_Antelope]

Don’t quit. I quit in my 40’s, gained 60#s, two back surgeries, one knee surgery,became a alcoholic, blood pressure and cholesterol off the charts. A walking time bomb. Decided I wanted to live.
Went into treatment, started working out religiously. Changed my diet. Lost all the weight.
Got back into all the things I loved to do in my 20s. Backpack hunt, ski, surf, and travel the world.
63 years old and still do all of the above as much as possible.
If your body and mind are broken find a solution and fix it.
Keep on Moving!

That’s awesome, man. Really glad to hear it!