Meniscus :

Same symptoms after meniscal repair - - Posted by ozzy (ozzy), 1 November 2002

Dear All

My Mum had a meniscal tear repair operation 2 weeks ago. The post-operative pain has disappeared, however, the pain that she had prior to surgery is in exactly the same place and at exactly the same intensity.

Prior to her referral to the Specialist, her GP had said he was sure that the problem wasn't cartilege-related and was more likely to be ligament-related, but the Specialist said it was definitely cartilege.

She has had a few knee injuries over the years, and our worry is that the Specialist has picked up a cartilege tear on the MRI that may have been there for years (and was not bothering her) and has operated without looking any further, for the root cause of the current problem.

How can we find out if this is the case, and if so, what do we do?

All help gratefully received...

Thanks in advance!
Posted by hmaxwell (Heather M.), 1 November 2002

You need to get a copy of the operative report.  What the doctor would be looking for in surgery would depend a lot on what the pre-op symptoms were and what incident spawned the whole knee pain episode.

In my surgical notes, the doctor dictated everything he did, and even though we knew my problem was torn meniscus and a cyst, along with chondromalacia, it specifically states that he examined the entire ACL, that the medial meniscus was intact and stable to probing, etc.  Then it states that once everything was done he fully examined the joint , removed the instruments, bent to 130 degrees, straightened a few times, then re-inserted the instruments and checked everything again.

I believe this is standard operating procedure, so to speak

The chances that the surgeon only looked at the meniscus and, say, ignored the ACL are pretty slim in my opinion, but you really need to ask the doctor this question.

Also it's important to know if your mom had meniscal REPAIR or partial REMOVAL of the damaged bit of meniscus.  It makes a HUGE difference in recovery.  If she had meniscal repair, wow, it's no wonder she's not feeling quite up to snuff yet.  Even if she had a 'simple' menisectomy, it will be few weeks yet before she's feeling 100%.  

The most important thing to do is talk to the surgeon and get a copy of all your records so that you can educate and inform yourself.

Good luck.

Heather
Posted by khaoskat (khaoskat), 6 November 2002

If she had a repair, it is very possible that she will still have some pain, as it was prior to the surgery, while the repair heals itself.

I was told, if they had been able to repair mine, it would be on crutches and off the leg/knee for 6-8 weeks, with approximately 4 - 6 of them being non-weight bearing.  If she is weight bearing, it is possible she could have torn a stich or something.

Khaoskat
Posted by khaoskat (khaoskat), 6 November 2002

If she had a repair, it is very possible that she will still have some pain, as it was prior to the surgery, while the repair heals itself.

I was told, if they had been able to repair mine, it would be on crutches and off the leg/knee for 6-8 weeks, with approximately 4 - 6 of them being non-weight bearing.  If she is weight bearing, it is possible she could have torn a stich or something.

Khaoskat

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