Has anyone ever torn a meniscus in their knee? How did it go for you? Did you need surgery??
It's been quite the ordeal for me. A month ago, I hurt it and went to the Orthopedic clinic here. They x rayed it and told me it was arthritis. They refused me an MRI despite the onset of sudden, severe pain. Not symptoms of arthritis obviously. So I waited a few weeks and nothing got better. I went to my rheumy who promptly ordered an MRI. Got results yesterday and it's a torn meniscus. I had been walking around on it for a month too! I am so po'd.
So I didn't want to go back to the same (only) orthopedic clinic in town so I am having to go out of town to a place next week. Ugh...... I am grateful that I got an appt. so soon though. If I had gone back to the same crappy clinic here, despite being an existing patient, it would have been a two week wait.
This comes at a bad time. We are trying to get our house ready to put up for sale and moving back to our former home. I was going to retire when the house sold. Now, I am thinking I just may go ahead in retire considering what I have facing me. This falls on top of what we already have to deal with. I feel bad that my fatigue in the past several years has resulted in less activity and weight gain. My biggest goal for retirement was to work on fitness.
I'm just so frustrated at this point. Thanks for listening.....
Dear Deb,
I tore the Meniscus in my right knee in 2004. I didn't realize it it for quite a while. Eventually I had the MRI which showed the tear.
I elected to 'wait it out' and, amazingly, about 6 months later it settled down and hasn't given me any trouble to this day. At the time, if I turned my body the wrong way while seated, the knee bones would 'catch on the edge of the torn meniscus' and I had scary pain, and was afraid to move, but knew I needed to 'unhook' the snag, which I would eventually do.
As far as I know there isn't any apparent danger to leaving a torn meniscus untreated. Little is done to address the issue, as far as I know, and there are meniscus transplants, but only available to those under 50 (so I understood at the time).
I tore my left meniscus in 2010, and at that time a piece of the torn meniscus jammed in my knee joint (showed up eventually on MRI). That pain was agonizing. By the time this was properly diagnosed it took a total two months until the surgery (arthroscopic) to remove the piece jammed in my knee joint. The surgery is an outpatient procedure (btw).
Then another 6 weeks of recuperation and PT. At the time the surgeon also 'cleaned out' the arthritis in my left knee joint (without telling me he was going to do that). Later I've learned that this isn't a good idea since I just 'grows back' sometimes even worse.
Anyway, my left knee is my horror show for arthritis. My right knee is just very weak and turns inward when I walk. I have braces due to my profound PN (unrelated to the torn Menisci).
It is clear that those of us who suffer from Immune Disorders have a very high rate of tendon and ligament damage and tears. This is probably due to the high level of inflammation caused by our Immune Disorders, and possibly by direct attacks on the ligaments and tendons themselves. (see Tennis Elbow discussion in this forum)
I know it is scary to have a torn meniscus. The Meniscus is the cushion or 'gasket' between the bones of our knees, and is very important to proper and pain-free functioning.
I'm sure you'll get lots of comments, and I can't wait to read them, and for you to keep us posted, as well.
Hugs, Elaine
I fell twice at work in one day on marble floors. I was working at a state hospital as a nurse and we had day we could dress in street clothes. I suspect that my weakness from myasthenia gravis precipitated the fall.
Anyway, they called it a torn meniscus and I did exercises, went to PT. and iced it at home for months. They talked about doing surgery but did only an arthroscopy. Being it was a government hospital I worked at they sent me to a new doctor every month and just strung me along. I worked with the bad knee and just kept up the ice and the exercises. It hurt to press on the gas pedal but I just put up with it cause it wasn't excruciating. It finally got better on its own.
My sister who is a nurse and worked in ortho surgery said it is good to try and let the body heal itself cause sometimes surgeries don't always relieve the problem. I think you will have to choose how this will go for you. Good luck.Irish
Well, I got good and peeved today and impatient. I wasn't going to sit around 5 more days, take time off from work to find out what was wrong with my knee. So, I went back to the local orthopedic clinic that I swore I wasn't going to go back to........ -:)))
I got a nice lady PA. Aside from the meniscus tear, I had a leaking Baker's cyst, something wrong and inflamed with the knee cap and quite a few other things. She recommended we try a cortisone shot and seeing how that goes before I check in with a surgeon. If it doesn't work, that's what choice I have. So far, so good and the shot didn't hurt all that much. I thought it would be worse. I did tell the story about the other PA who didn't do right by me!!
Carolina, it sounds like our left knees have something in common.... I've not run across any info on meniscus transplants! Very interesting!! I am past the age though. I've heard of pieces of torn meniscus jamming up the joint causing it to freeze. What an awful experience for you.
Irish, I think working on your feet a lot is also tough on the joints! Injuries and too much activity causes it.
Thanks so much for your stories. They helped a lot!!
just to add a little more to my story, I forgot to tell you that I virtually killed the synovial fluid sacs (whatever they are called) under both kneecaps when I fell. I had to have cortisone injections directly into the kneecaps. Now whenever I bump my kneecaps I have to bite my tongue or else I yell and swear at the same time. !!! Ain't life fun. Irish
Irish, that sounds very painful-:((((
Deb,
Again...it's me! I don't know your age, but of course, I have a story. I have a torn meniscus. I "missed" a step last summer and came down hard on my left knee. (I was proud I didn't fall!) [ Of course, you know how our rheumies check all our vulnerable spots..and a couple of years ago, mine actually did what I consider "prophylactic" X rays of my knees and wrists. Thank goodness. They were fine!! ]
After the misstep, I waited about 6 weeks before I saw the ortho, who Xrayed it and announced it wasn't "broken". As you know, since you had to have the MRI to detect the tear, he didn't offer further tests. I had made one trip before I ever made the first ortho visit, and had another one coming up about a month AFTER I had seen him. I was uncomfortable to say the least.
By the middle of Oct, I was taking one Tylenol 3 every day..in halves. Opiods, if you don't know, can cause EXTREME constipation. I make another ortho appt...and learn there are two new othos w' that practice---and I choose another one. The next week he ordered an MRI...and even asked if other one had suggested it. Which of course he knew the other hadn't.
Anyway: the report had five points: #1 basically said I had old knees (ha, ha) and # 2 said Meniscus tear (blah blah) which the ortho said he believed to be an old age tear and not such to operate on. Then he offered me a steroid shot in my knee (below the knee cap) or a "gel" shot. Had never heard of such. He told me I was lucky: no bone on bone but had "jammed" my knee with the above described incident. I "ordered" a gel shot that day. It isn't 100%, but it surely was better than surgery. AND...the gel shot? I can have one as frequently as once a month. This one has lasted ...hmmm... well over two months.
Am in process of taking meds to close an ulcer--in order to prepare for a hip replacement on left side. If I ever get the stomach healed, have the hip surgery, and determine if the knee is still bothering me, then i'll reconsider.
I guess what i'm saying is...how old are your knees?
Good luck...if you're young, on your feet w' children, at work, with chores, etc...all I can say is OUCH!
c3
ccourt1942, I am 63.... I still work so I am up on my feet quite a bit.
I had so much else going on in the knee with the baker's cysts, patellar something but basically it's inflammation. Maybe they will offer one of the gel shots to help me. I know my rheumy said that might be an option when the cortisone no longer helps. Apparently b/c of insurance and cost, you have to get the cheap stuff first.
So far, the cortisone shot is helping some. However, today, I've been doing some house work and it's talking to me a little. It's not all that stabile. I think I'll need surgery but hoping to put it off.