3rd time a charm?..knee operation

STANDARD DISCLAIMER.....

Though you are wisely getting a second opinion, when my ACL finally popped and tore my meniscus i also went to see the Sports Med doc. He told me i could either have him fix the torn menicus then OR plan on coming back to see him later. I chose then. As he told me, the meniscus is a bumper between the two bones and if torn would continue to deteriorate and tear further - not a good prognosis.

So, now 4 years later i can say i rarely have pain in my knee and it has seen some pretty hard days.

I just had surgery not even three weeks ago to repair a torn meniscus in my left knee. It's not so bad. I've already run on it twice since the surgery. First time was too soon (12 days after), but the second time (which was yesterday) was a heck of a lot better. I'm gradually getting back into my running schedule. Really glad I had the surgery done.

Best of luck with your situation.

FWIW, I have been stretching at least every other day--my flexibility remains greatly improved. The PT said my quad imbalance was better. The orthopedist (surgeon/sports medicine guy) says my quads look very strong and not imbalanced--BUT he didn't "test" me the way the PT did.

Both the PT and the orthopedist said the off-the-shelf green SuperFeet properly aligned everything for me and saw no reason for custom orthotics.

Tim

After popping up from a butt/boot slide on Moosilauke, I had a brief pain in the inside/somewhat under my knee cap area. I felt it again the following day descending on another hike, and then even more pronounced the following day walking in a flat (after having already done an ascent and partial descent). Since the flat, I've had it consistantly since...I feel it whenever I move the knee. From what I've read, could be meniscus related? Similar experiences? Should I rest it or should I resume exercise?

rocket21 said:

After popping up from a butt/boot slide on Moosilauke, I had a brief pain in the inside/somewhat under my knee cap area. I felt it again the following day descending on another hike, and then even more pronounced the following day walking in a flat (after having already done an ascent and partial descent). Since the flat, I've had it consistantly since...I feel it whenever I move the knee. From what I've read, could be meniscus related? Similar experiences? Should I rest it or should I resume exercise?

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What I learned from my experience was get to a doctor ASAP. This will save you the mental anguish of hemming and hawing over what the problem could be. It's torture doing that! Ask around about any highly qualified sports doctors in your area. A good MRI will give the doctors a clear picture as to what is going on in most cases.

I've had bad knees most of my life, but never this type of pain for an extended amount of time...I can still hike on it (I made it another 3 miles), but my fear is getting deep into the woods solo and having it give out...thinking of maybe carrying some stuff in my pack so that I could bandage it up well if that happened and hobble back Andre Dawson style. The last two times I went to the docs, I heard "get surgery or deal with this the rest of your life until you get surgery" and "stop working it out as much unless you want surgery"...but the pain was different then (ligaments)

FWIW I go a fairly solid 280#, run 3-5 miles 4x weekly and have had several scopes - once had mcl on both knees at same time. Key is good sports ortho for me - my guy was an old jock who treated lots of sports related injuries - I like him cause he says I am "thick' (I assume he means my frame). I dont see the PA or the NP or even a substitute doc, I wait to see "my" ortho doc - the guy I let put his hands IN my body. He knows the territory, the history, knows the product etc. - kinda like a mechanic for the car. I also fill him in on what i am doing - activities, workout , gear etc. and make sure he knows what those are (i once had to explain crampons to him). Sometimes I even bring stuff with me. Dont underestimate the relationship or let the insurance divert you from good advice. I've been a healthcare administrator for a long time and I wil let you in on a secret - all care and care givers are/is not the same - most folks do more research on their gear then their doc.
I have also been fortunate to have a good running store nearby that videoed my stride and got me in to a better set of shoes. An item they pointed to was that hiking I should pay attention to my heel strike/stride also and sure enough when i came back and had them look at my stride/strike I was over pronating in the boots. I loved the old shoes but traded for a better support and found it to be a big difference. I also bought into the go light idea and cut my pack weight in half for most trips. Again the trick was to find a knowledgeable guy to get the right pack and the right fit. The extra bucks and the extra effort really do pay off.
side benefit of it all is that the slower pace has caused me to enjoy the activities much more and reap a greater spirital benefit. Sure I start earlier and finish later and I get frustrated when someone zips by but at the end of the day I can leave most folks behind - think tortoise and hare.

John K said:

FWIW I dont see the PA or the NP or even a substitute doc, I wait to see "my" ortho doc - the guy I let put his hands IN my body. He knows the territory, the history, knows the product etc.

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Hence my recent revival of this thread. I'm looking to find 'my guy'. In my case, the 'real orth' was booked 3 months out for new patients so I agreed to go to the PA. They don't do MRIs out-of-the-blue (or so they say) so I had to go through PT first. Then I got to see the real orth when that didn't help. And, after his suggestions didn't do much for me I got the MRI ($4251.32 was billed to my insurance--I was shocked).

This orth is impossible to get a hold of, which is both good and bad -- good in that he's good enough to be busy and bad because it takes 2 weeks for him to get back to me with answers.

Tim