Meniscus :

Upcoming Appt. for meniscus tear - - Posted by eyelight (eyelight), 19 July 2003

My first post to this excellent forum is prompted by what seems to be imminent surgery.
I had been experiencing intermitent localised pain on the inside of my knee which I assumed to be medial ligament damage. Had a cortisone shot into the area and soon developed the loud knocking and slight locking (I could ease it out). An MRI indicated a lateral tear. So I'm scheduled to see a surgeon in a couple of weeks. I'm keen to find out what range of movement I could expect after surgery.
My problem is compounded by the fact that I'm a yoga teacher and have been used to range of movement above the normal.
Posted by eyelight (eyelight), 20 July 2003

Thanks for the feedback. It's good to hear a success story. I hope I'll be able to post the same after the OP.

Posted by ATsoccergirl (ATsoccergirl), 20 July 2003

I'm a little confused all your symptoms are coming from the medial side, yet the tear is lateral?  
Posted by eyelight (eyelight), 20 July 2003

To quote the the radioligist who performed the MRI- ' there is a horizontal cleavage tear in the posterior horn of the medial meniscus associated with bone bruising in the postero-medial aspect of the medial fermoral condyle'. He also says that all the ligaments are intact (which is a relief). I'm not sure what all that means but I'll quiz the surgeon when I see him if I don't find out beforehand.
As I've said before, the thing that makes me most anxious is the possibilty that I will not get back my full ROM.
Posted by ATsoccergirl (ATsoccergirl), 20 July 2003

Thanks for clarifying that, in your original post you said the tear was lateral.  

Mensicus surgery is a fairly common occurance.  I have had nurmerous athletes have it done with no complications.  Typically, ROM is regained as based on the pain and swelling.  With a mensectomy there are no wb or ROM restrictions, however if the tear can be repaired expect to partial weight bearing for 6 weeks with a stricter  Rehab protocal.  After arthroscopy, an athlete can typically return to sports within 3-4 depending on what sport/position.  
Posted by eyelight (eyelight), 20 July 2003

Thanks ATsoccergirl for your information. I'm much encouraged by it. After reading some of the stories of other members I know that my problem is a relatively minor one. But, having been in pretty good health for all my life the idea of having surgery and a general comes as a bit of a shock and I'm not looking forward to it. But, I do look forward to being able to tie myself up in lotus again (that's my benchmark for rehab) - and I'll post when that finally comes about  
Posted by khaoskat (khaoskat), 21 July 2003

You should have absolutely no trouble regaining your ROM with meniscal problems.  Even while pregnant, and feeling a bit of knee pain, I was able to have really good ROM with my knee and continued to skate.

Best bit of advice, take it easy, and don't rush your recovery.  Work with your PT and do your home exercises from day 1.

Khaoskat
Posted by eyelight (eyelight), 22 July 2003

Thanks again for all the feedback, its been very encouraging. I will post progress so others who go through the same surgery can get an idea of what to expect. 'Till then I've got a couple of weeks to work on my quads and hammy's.

Posted by sleepiegirl (sleepiegirl), 15 August 2003

I have also had surgery for a meniscal tear in both of my knees (right knee when i was 16, left knee when i was 1.  I was still in high school at the time so my doctor gave me the week off from school each time.  When I came back after my first surgery he didnt want me taking gym class or anything like that, but I was climbing stairs, walking perfectly fine, and went to my friend's sweet 16 party 4 days later and danced the night away.  I was scheduled for 4 weeks in physical therapy but I only went for 2.5 weeks because I had gained  complete ROM and strength back so quickly.  When I had my second surgery, it was a lot more painful.  They had taken 20% of the cartilage out of that knee, leaving me with a big hole and a lot of scar tissue.  I was in a lot more pain, though I was walking after about a week and modeled in a h.s. fashion show 4 days later, the pain medicine only helped put me to sleep.  I went to physical therapy again, this time for the entire month, eventually gaining back ROM and strength, but this knee has never felt the same, but I recently found out (at the age of 20) that I have chondromalacia due to patella mal-alignment, so the plight continues.  However, my right knee has never had any problems again, so I guess I got the best and the worst from my experience with meniscal tears.    Good luck with yours.  Keep us updated.

*Lorraine
Posted by Dust (Dust), 16 August 2003

I have had the same cleavage tears in both left and right knees 4 years apart. I do martial arts and I found the first tear which was on the left recovered well and my strength and ROM are now as good as before the injury.

The right medial tear was 5 months ago, my recovery has been good but a little slower than the left, almost full ROM. I have really had to address how I stand and move, as I use my toes too much to pivot and turn rather than the heal and whole foot which I believe put undue torsional stress on the knee.

I have had some recent aggravation with the right knee what seems to be due to my tibia being ever so slightly forward (diagnosed by a great chiropractor), which affects the articulation of the joint. I really would recommend seeing a chiropractor prior to surgery or at least during rehab, as I have found that my both my OS's didn't really look into this.

Rehab is crucial - yet an essential point with it I have found is not stength of muscle or stability of the joint, but the state of the nervous system and the ability to really relax.

An exhausted nervous system will slow recovery greatly, as it is easy to overwork, and thus the muscular and skeletal systems will not function optimally. I would recommend working only to a 70% rule during rehab.

But I'm probably going overboard here.

Best of luck.
Posted by eyelight (eyelight), 16 August 2003

Thanks for the posts. My surgery is scheduled for 2 days time. I've been told that if you are going to have knee surgery then this is the one to have. Your replies seem to bear this out (thanks for all the positive support)
Lorraine, I'm just going to think about your good knee. Dust, I was especially interested in your reply as there is some similarities between martial arts and yoga, particulary in terms of alignment. I've a chiropractic/osteo appt. a week after the surgery, I've also arranged to take it easy and rest for the week following the operation. I know that I've got the sort of personality that if I feel OK I'll want to throw myself back into things.
I'm curious to know how you knew that rehab was 'over' and you could start challenging the joint again? Also did you work on specific knee exercises to strengthen/stabilise the joint or did you just resume your regular training? Look forward to your reply.

This old Forum was so valuable that we have kept it as an archive. It is just for reference. If you want to ask questions or offer advice, there is also a current Bulletin Board which you can access from our home page.

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