So I got confirmation today that I tore (bucket handled type) the medial meniscus in my right knee. Anyway, I'm supposed to meet with a knee specialist/sports injury doctor next week to go over what options may be available to me. But in the meantime I have read a bit online, and given the type and location of the injury it's looking like arthroscopic surgery may be the only viable option. Adding to that though, is that I've read that in many instances people can't really go back to more strenuous activities (like basketball, skiing, football, etc) even after months of recovery due to the likelihood of reinjury. I'm at a point in my life where I love sports and everything, but I really don't think I could afford (from a mental and time standpoint, not financial, not to say it's been cheap so far) to go through another injury like this (assuming I have to get surgery). I was just wondering if anyone else has torn a meniscus, and what kind of therapy they had to go through (with or without surgery), and how much activity you were able to do afterwards? It's not like I am all that great of an athlete or anything, but just the thought of not even being able to play something like flag football again makes me cry a little.
Not to add insult to injury...errr no pun intended....but this statements says it all While I have never suffered that type of injury, I have had my own and dealt with many as a Medic in the Army. You chances to recover increase if you are a high level athlete. Your body is better equipped to support and stabilize the injured area of the body; where as an everyday person will tend to compensate for the injury leading to a different injury. Not to say you can recover, just the odds are against you. My best advice, if you want to continue to play sports, you will need to build your body back up. Paying attention to you injury by 1) stop if it hurts, it is ok to push you self a little in rehab, but you need to know when it stops being good pain, and becomes pain telling you to stop. That is a hard line to define because everyone is different. 2) do not rush back into playing, make sure your knee can handle the stress of sudden weight shifts, cuts, turns, and so forth. I do believe the only thing in life that can hold us back are our self’s. At the same time you need to be able to recognize and understand your body and what it is telling you.
Well Stitches, I'd say after the surgery, if it is needed, then take up acitivities that do not put direct pressure on the knee for a couple of months, say swimming or biking or even walking fairly long distances to restrengthen the knee and your legs in general, then play some of your favorite sports slowly at first and see how you feel afterwards, whether the knee swells up or what have you. FWIW, I hit the inner half of my right knee with a machete about 10 yrs ago, and it swelled up and had to have it checked and what have you, since then it has given me no real problems when it comes to playing sports or bike riding or what have you, then again I used to be on my feet for 10 hrs a day on the job so imo it helped to stabilize things.
I tore my meniscus twice (both times tearing my posterior cruciate ligament too). Left knee both times. I had it close to 20 years ago ( was 13 and then 16 when it happened again) and it does take some time to heal however its all about the way you go about your rehab. Its going to be sore as hell but sore means you accomplished something..as long as it doesnt hurt. Be aggressive when you rehab. If the doctor says do 10 reps of an exercise, do 12. If he says do 20 lbs do 25 to see how far you can push it. Its kind of like when they say there's a difference between hurt and injured in pro sports, thats how I treated rehab. Thats how I taught my dad to treat rehab when he had his stroke and they said he might not regain full use (or really more then mild use) of his left side. He regained pretty much full range of motion fwiw and plays ball at the park every sunday for 2-3 hours at the ripe age of 61. I guess what I am getting at is doctors are taught to be careful because of lawsuits and such and its understandable but your rehab will be what you make it. Like anything else in life, you only get as much out of something as you put in. I played halfcourt basketball with my leg in an immobilizer, against doctors orders pretty much that whole summer when I was 16. I didnt even care that I could move well, I just couldnt sit still. I never gave it anywhere close to the amount of rest he said because I was a hyperactive little runt. Getting hurt that second time made me actually start lifting weights as soon as my parents would let me. Bottom line is if you want to play sports again even if its only pick up games, you will, if youre willing to work at it and have the right mindset to attack it.
Now, without knowing the actual size or place of the tear I can't be really certain, but I'd guess that 99% of every meniscal tear I've seen in younger, healthy adults heal fine, those with and withour surgery, with not really any problems. The meniscus doesn't support the knee like a ligament, tendon, and muscle so the chances for a 100% full recovery is extremely high. Especially in a young healthy adult.
It's supposed to be a big tear in the middle of the meniscus. Thanks for the insight though, that certainly makes me feel better.
Pete....have the surgery...if they cut the meniscus which they most likely will do with a bucket handle tear, you will be up and walking within 24 hours and back running and exercising with in 2 weeks - 4 weeks. If they for some reason stitch the tear, then you will be on crutches for about a month. You will fully recover either way without any complications 99% of the time. If you choose to not have surgery and go with just rehab, the meniscus will bother you for a while - 6 months to a yr in most cases, and then the likelihood of retearing is very high. I tore my acl, both meniscus, the cartiledge under the knee cap and fractured my tibia and have made a full recovery back to playng soccer and being active. If you have any other questions pm me.. Michelle
I didnt have the surgery and I retore it 2+ years later. I made a full recovery but looking back I think I would have had the surgery even though the first one wasnt a full tear....
Just got back from the knee specialist. I tore my ACL as well. Going to get surgery whenever I can get 2-4 weeks off ok'd by work. I'm going to opt for a piece of my hamstring to repair the tear, rather than from a cadaver.
Pretty sure FFG works in some form of physical therapy or training. Id tend to agree with her here as well because if you want a body part that is never the same once you hurt it, hamstrings are it. More susceptible to tears and strains as well as just general soreness. Things just keep getting better huh Pete. Sorry for the bad news bro. Keep your head up...and I would get the surgery as soon as possible. The longer you wait the worse off you will be. Once it starts to heal they may have to make it worse to get it better again.
Well next Wednesday is the first day I could get it, but in all likelihood the 13th will be my first realistic chance. And I know (or believed) FFG was in a medical profession, so I appreciate her input, I was just looking for more explanation was all.
Pete, hamstring graft takes a lot more time to heal, you'll have one extra incision and it will leave your hamstring slightly weaker than before. On top of that the graft itself isnt as strong and the cadavar graft...they have to slice the hamstring tendon and re weave it together to make double stregnth. Cadavar leaves you with 3 little scars, nothing else invasive and the abilty to start rehab quicker as your body doesnt have vascularize two different sites. Plus, you wont have to deal with hamstring tightness/tenderness and you will be able to move right away (depending on what they do with your meniscus).
I just had to pay my out of pocket portion of the surgery, and it's the 1st time I've been really glad I've had insurance. Geez.
Don't you hate how that works? All this time you think to yourself, "what a waste of money. Nothing ever happens," and then this happens. You end up saying "oh damn, thank god for insurance".
Yea, that's why they call it insurance I guess. I never really thought it was a waste of money before, because I know it's a just in case thing, but this is just the first time I've really used it.
I still haven't. I talked with a co-workers wife who's a nurse and had the surgery before (on each knee). She went cadaver both times, but we talked a bit about the pluses and minuses of both. I'm still not sure.
So, it seemed like the 1st surgery went well. I've had a couple sessions of therapy, and almost had my range of motion from 0 degrees to 90 (about 5 degrees off in each direction). I just got off crutches today, but I have to go back for a 2nd surgery. One of the screws holding my graft in place has apparently come through my tibia bone, and the doctor wants to fix it to prevent any future issues.
I know you told me that earlier, but it'll all work out bro. Hopefully your doc puts the bioscrew in a different place, because I'm not sure putting it in the same location will hold tightly. Us and our knee surgeries.... Not looking forward to mine next week...
Things keep getting better Pete lol. Hopefully the 2nd surgery is the last and you can get to a speedy recovery. And hopefully things go better for you ASU. ThePhins.com physical therapy sessions start Monday! Im leaving FinFanGirl in charge
Thanks Boik. I just had my ACL surgery today. Went with the hamstring graft. My surgeon only gave me that option, or the patella. Doesn't go the cadaver route. I was lucky he's the head orthopedic surgeon for the Arizona Cardinals and the Phoenix Coyotes out here. Did his fellowship under Dr. James Andrews in Bama. Very cool cat too. Has me hooked up to a CPM machine, which I took home, and has me using it for 8 hours each day from here on out. Right now it has me at 90 degrees ROM, and tomorrow I am supposed to set it for a full 120 degree range of motion. Got my first physical therapy session tomorrow also. So, we definitely should start a physical therapy chat going with FinFanGirl, would be awesome! I'm going light on the pain meds now, hammy is a little tender for sure. Stitches texted me the other day, and he got better news on his knee, so that is great also! Hope your doing well Pete!
I'm ok, just jealous since I'm struggling to hit 90 degrees and it's been 3 weeks. Seems to be my meniscus that is hindering my movement from what I understand though.
Got to 120 degrees ROM as of earlier today. Not too shabby. Went to PT yesterday. Went well actually, wasn't sure what to expect. Did Russian Stem stuff to get my quad firing more. Gave me three workouts to do, alongside the 8 hours of CPM machine work I'm already doing each day. Way ahead of schedule they said. Hammy is still tender, some knee soreness. But I'm just about 53 hours post surgery now so thats expected. Surgeon said in a vm today that I had nice big hamstring tendons for the graft so it's a very strong graft, so that was great news. Can bear most of my weight as is, still gotta use crutches though just to assist till I can get back to that normal getting pattern.
Pete this is probably just a thread for you and I, but I'll update regardless. Had surgery 7/28. Gave up the crutches day 6 (post surgery-due to pt's orders). Could fully support weight and walk heal toe efficiently. Today I had my 4th PT session. Had me doing a few more workouts that have been added. Lady pulled, tugged, twisted, and prodded my knee like no other the last two PT sessions. At times very painful, and feels as though my frontal knee/shin where the worst stitches are, are about to tear away like they're on fire. I'm still doing the 8 hours plus(I sometimes do more) of CPM machine each day at home. Taking the white legging, or whatever it is called off tomorrow. I wore it a few more days than my surgeon suggested, help keep swelling down even more. Excited for taking that off, that's for sure! It's hot in AZ right now haha. I havn't ever been taking my pain medicine like I should, mostly because I was wanting to be able to drive without worries, but seems as though the pain each day comes from different areas of the leg (besides the knee), and my PT today said that was pretty normal. She said my hamstring will be black and blue though in a week or so because it is late in showing the damage. How is your knee Pete, and what kind of therapy do they have you doing?
Having your knee locked in to one position for any extended period of time probably wont help loosen it up or ease the pain. I never had surgery like you did but when I messed up my meniscus I had it immobilized and elevated for about a week or so with an ice pack. I would say elevating it and keeping weight off it is probably a good idea. Secondly there is a difference between "painful" and "difficult" or "sore". Painful means you should stop the exercise and say something. Difficult or sore means proceed with caution because youre accomplishing something. Also, not sure if you ever lifted weights but many of the same principles apply...Not really sure why the physical therapists are having you work the same muscle groups on consecutive days when a muscle group takes about 36-48 hours to recover adequately. Breaking those muscles down again within that 36-48 hour period youre really working harder not smarter because youre not maximizing the effect of your rehab session.
You're stupid, Pete. Should've opted for the amputation. Could've performed that at home with a hacksaw & a blow torch and skipped the co-pay. I messed my shoulder & knee up simultaneously but could only have 1 surgery at a time........... total ***** trying to use crutches while recovering shoulder surgery. I'm as good as new, so hopefully you'll be back to normal in a jiffy.
My knee is ok I guess, all things considered. I'm at (as of last Tuesday) -6 degrees as far as full leg extension goes, and 93 degrees flexion (though I'm only supposed to go to 60 or less), I was at like -18 degrees and 73 degrees the 1st time I went to therapy, which was a week after surgery (it's been a month since surgery). I got off crutches like 2 weeks ago, and was using a full leg brace (locked in place) to walk around (at which point I was allowed to drive, though I've only been driving for like 10 days now). Of course that was when I thought I was going to have another surgery, so I was held out of therapy for like 5 sessions. I lost the full brace this past Monday though and am just using a neoprene brace with side supports. It rarely hurts now (and when it does hurt it's hardly anything to write home about), and seems to be getting stronger, but it does get pretty stiff at times, especially after I wake up in the morning. Today it actually felt pretty good when I woke up, and I think it may have been because I slept on my side for most of the night rather than my back. Like you I stopped taking pain meds pretty early (after like 1 week I stopped except for one before bed, and that only lasted like 5 days), but I stopped just because it wasn't hurting that bad (and the medication seemed to make me tired). I never got a legging or anything like you, and I'm pretty sure CPM wasn't an option for me because of my meniscus. I'm doing simple exercises at therapy (I think they are simple, but I feel like they're working/effective) 3 times a week, just working on strengthening all the muscles in my leg (isometrics?) and doing simple, restricted bending stuff. I then have a set of exercises I'm supposed to do at home on days I don't go to therapy. On the 15th I get to start exercises that let me go to 90 degrees, and that should last 2 weeks at which point I hopefully get to push it even further. I haven't been able to straighten my leg all the way since the initial injury (5/29) and I really can't wait to be able to lay down with my legs flat and straight or stand straight up all the way.
Yeah, definitely. A CPM machine doesn't have it locked into one position though. It's a continious knee bending machine, at a very very slow speed. It's an agressive program and immediately starts rehab post surgery. The knee likes/prefers movement, your right. A meniscus does need to be immobilized though, but thats a whole different animal! I'm definitely icing it and elevating it as much as I can. This CPM machine is amazing though, and from my own experience now, will recommend it to others. And he had me bear some weight on it and stand before I was even able to leave the hospital haha. They aren't making me do anything strenuous. Excercises to get the quad firing, and calf/hammy stretches and such. As for full blown weight lifting, yeah muscle recovery takes a few days. But I'm nowhere near doing anything like that at pt yet. Who knows, my surgeon is the head orthopedic surgeon for the cardinals, and the phx coyotes, and have been told that he's very very agressive with his approach. Some docs aren't...It's hard to tell, but so far I'm having a great recovery. I've been walking perfect now for about 3 days, bout 10 days post surgery as I write this. I'm just really looking forward to getting these stitches taken out soon! Pun intended Pete
Had my post op appointment today, took xrays and had the stitches taken out. I'll tell you what...its crazy looking at your xrays and seeing two large screws in there! He had me walk around for awhile so that he could see how I was walking, and he bended my knee a bit. Said everything looked great. I'm supposed to be returning the CPM machine today, but I'm gonna try and hold onto it longer and use it as much as I can.
