Torn meniscus?

Anyone ever had this knee injury? What did it feel like? Did you have surgery? Doc said I might have it, but he'll wait until I get back from my trip to do an x-ray and to make sure the pain isn't from just a sprain.

This sucks. How am I supposed to enjoy California on crutches and in a wheelchair????

Originally Posted by Godiva

Anyone ever had this knee injury? What did it feel like? Did you have surgery? Doc said I might have it, but he'll wait until I get back from my trip to do an x-ray and to make sure the pain isn't from just a sprain.

This sucks. How am I supposed to enjoy California on crutches and in a wheelchair????

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Oh I am so sorry! I feel for you! I am dealing with this. Initially, xrays just showed arthritis, but when I went for my Physical Therapy evaluation (my doc and I decided I should try using a cane and going to PT, plus I was put on an anti-inflammatory med), they felt there was more going on and that it was what I thought it was - a torn Meniscus. My MRI did show a torn as well as extruded meniscus and fluid and...I'll spare you my whole story <wry grin>.

I have an apt. with an orthopedic doc coming up very soon...I hope to not have to have surgery at this point since my strong guess is I will be needing a knee replacement in the future anyway.

The swelling/stiffness and pain has progressively gotten less (my injury was back in the end of June), but I still need the cane

Hey Pat....
I work in the operating room, and I've seen patients get a lot of relief from arthroscopic knee surgery....often enough relief that they can postpone total knee replacement for several years. It's certainly something that you may want to discuss with your orthopedic surgeon.

Originally Posted by Pookie-poo

Hey Pat....
I work in the operating room, and I've seen patients get a lot of relief from arthroscopic knee surgery....often enough relief that they can postpone total knee replacement for several years. It's certainly something that you may want to discuss with your orthopedic surgeon.

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Thanks..I will certainly ask a bazillion questions Any chance they can do this under a local? I truly, strongly, do not wish another general (they almost couldn't get me intubated last time, and since I've been present for surgeries with general, and been the nurse applying cricoid pressure, I just know too much...wah!)

Originally Posted by Pat & Alix

Thanks..I will certainly ask a bazillion questions

Any chance they can do this under a local? I truly, strongly, do not wish another general (they almost couldn't get me intubated last time, and since I've been present for surgeries with general, and been the nurse applying cricoid pressure, I just know too much...wah!)

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Okay missy...if you've done cricoid...
You know enough to know that knee scopes aren't done under local!!! You can, however, have it done with a spinal. That's the way I'd go, and the way I made my mother (age 75) have her knee scope done last fall.

Originally Posted by Pookie-poo

Okay missy...if you've done cricoid...
You know enough to know that knee scopes aren't done under local!!!

You can, however, have it done with a spinal. That's the way I'd go, and the way I made my mother (age 75) have her knee scope done last fall.

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Honestly, my or experience as a circulating or scrub nurse (except for as a student nurse or personal experience which is scant just not smooth), is limited to c/sections and tubals so I was just hoping re a local...sigh.

Not sure how good a candidate I am for a spinal either (too well padded!) We'll see what the ortho doc has to say.

Originally Posted by Pat & Alix

Honestly, my or experience as a circulating or scrub nurse (except for as a student nurse or personal experience which is scant just not smooth), is limited to c/sections and tubals

so I was just hoping re a local...sigh.

Not sure how good a candidate I am for a spinal either (too well padded!) We'll see what the ortho doc has to say.

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I've seen spinals done on 400+ pounders for total knee arthroplasties (and C-sections.) Padding isn't necessarily the biggest concern...however arthritis in the spine can be a factor deciding whether or not a spinal can be done. That being said, I've seen successful spinals done on some pretty crappy looking spines too, lol!

Originally Posted by Pookie-poo

I've seen spinals done on 400+ pounders for total knee arthroplasties (and C-sections.) Padding isn't necessarily the biggest concern...however arthritis in the spine can be a factor deciding whether or not a spinal can be done. That being said, I've seen successful spinals done on some pretty crappy looking spines too, lol!

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Well I don't weigh that much, however I do have arthritis and other issues in my lower back..would have to recheck with my doctor but it may be in just the wrong place re getting a spinal

I swear, for years I was healthy as a horse...it's another one of those cosmic jokes, like when I found my first white hair on my 25th birthday..hit late 40's early 50's and find out I'm not aging so well at all. Stomping feet in frustration...

ps I feel bad...I've hijacked this thread which I will stop right now. I do hope some of this is helpful re discussing arthroscopic surgery for meniscus tears etc.

In 1996 I had my knee scoped for what was thought to be a menicous tear ... turned out to be a PLICA tare that would not have shown up on the MRI which was about the price of the surgery.... I spent three weeks on crutches .... got off them just in time for the jr prom to use a cane and my date

Oh man... you guys have really scared me! I such a chicken about surgery. I thought it was under a local, too... you mean they usually put people under a general for just an arthroscopy? I really hope I don't need surgery, but today, walking was extremely difficult and now I'm using crutches. I feel a lot of pressure in my knee medially and it is very difficult to straighten my leg all the way. Once I manage to losen it up enough to do so, it makes a clicking sound. The pain is at the very worst when I try to walk on it.

This knee has a long history of problems.... when I was 13, I dislocated my patella and sprained my ankle badly at the same time (I was en pointe in ballet). I quit dance because of it and I kept having 3-6 minor to major subluxations/dislocations over the years, to this day... but they always healed in a matter of a week or two. They weren't horrible.

In October, I got in a car accident and banged my knee up against the dash. That took a while to heal. After that, it became easier for me to dislocate my patella again and my knee has become increasingly unstable over the past several months, but if I'm easy on it, I always seem to get to the point where it feels normal again. And then this happens.... I'm so frustrated. I don't run, ride a bike, or do anything more strenuous than waitressing or swimming because of my knee. Now that I have health insurance, even though I really don't want to, I think I'm finally going to have the surgery I needed years ago anyway.

Thanks for the support, guys. It's glad to hear somebody else out there has similar problems. I've had a hard time getting doctors to believe my problems are as bad as they are. I've just dealt with the pain for so long... but now it's limiting my mobility and I'm fed up.

They put me under a general ... one afternoon in the hospital and LOTS OF PT

P.S. Don't feel bad, you didn't hijack my thread at all. I found the information useful... a little scary, but useful.

I've had two surgeries now for tears in the meniscus... I messed my knee up pretty well back in high school. I'd planted my leg and then turned wrong playing soccer... ended up with a torn ACL and multiple tears in the meniscus. They removed some of it, and attempted to repair one of the tears. But apparently the meniscus receives very little blood flow, and the repair didn't work. I didn't find this out until years later, of course. I'd found that my knee would lock and "click" at times, and would hurt if I overdid walking, etc., but nothing major (I thought). That is, until the day my knee locked and wouldn't unlock. Luckily, my husband was with me and could take me to the emergency room. They had to shoot my leg up with painkillers to be able to manipulate it enough to unlock it. I ended up having to have surgery again to remove the piece that was flipping forward and causing the lock-ups.

Anyway, yes, I had to be put under for both surgeries - I never considered anything else though. After the first, I stayed at the hospital overnight and I was on crutches for at least a month - but that was 10 years ago and I'd had an ACL reconstruction at the same time. With the second, I went home the same day and I was walking again within a week or two. My doctor said it was very different if they are attempting to repair the meniscus vs. removing it. With a repair, you have to take care of it and you have to stay off it for a longer period of time. With a removal, there is nothing to protect and you recover sooner (but you'll likely face arthritis and other problems down the road).

I'm sorry you have to deal with this! Good luck and here are some healing vibes.

This sounds horrible. From what I've been reading, this is a potentially major source of disability in middle to late age. You should see me try to walk... it's pathetic. I really don't want to deal with this as often as I have been. I might need to give up waitressing....

Originally Posted by Godiva

P.S. Don't feel bad, you didn't hijack my thread at all. I found the information useful... a little scary, but useful.

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Oh good! Back when I was a graduate nurse they told me the knee where I now have the issue, had a slipping patella..hmm.

Fwiw, the change has been like night and day - I too could barely straighten the leg, it felt so swollen inside, the pain was bone on bone which would come if I stepped wrong and it was giving out. Time, the cane, the anti-inflammatory - pt, so I learned how to step down, figuring out how to get into bed (nothing like a very high pillowtop when you can't get up on a bended knee to get in), it's all helped. I just want you to know it will get better...I may still have issues to deal with, but I was crying every day and it's been weeks since that happened.

Over here, crutches aren't even given post arthroscopy/partial menisectomy. Only if the person is in a bad way but you're encouraged to fully weight bear on the knee immediately. In my experience dealing with clients post-scope, the pain subsides within a week and instantly the relief compared to pre-op is almost always significant.

It's never nice to have surgery but generally this procedure is successful. Godiva I'll PM you a few stability exercises for your knee as it sounds extremely weak!!