Thread: Bucket handle torn meniscus

Bending down to take a picture of my son and POP goes the knee. Hop up 67 stairs, go to the doctor and he tells me I tore my meniscus severely. The leg is locked into a bent position and Vicodin isn't working. MRI ASAP and then consultation and then surgery. Supposedly in a week. Is that soon enough? I don't think I can wait. What can I take other than Vicodin? I have some Tylenol 3 from a septoplasty (bore out sinus' and septum a month ago). Anyone out there relate? What can I expect? Thanks

Paging Splat, Woodlandclown etc...

Just got your pm....

I don't think I bent my leg much, except for starightening it for the MRI. Hopefully, you're in a brace and that position is something you'll have to get used to, I guess. What'd the doc say about that? I was locked into 20 degrees on my brace prior to surgery, prolly to minimize abrasion to the meniscus. You will now borg assimilate that brace into your life for a while.

As for me, I popped some codiene along with vicodin as a chaser when I didn't have anything else for the pain. I'm glad I got cut within two weeks of my accident, mostly because I'm in my 7th week in that brace and still not weight bearing after seeing the doc today.

I couldn't take it anymore, just took the tylenol 3. it was only two hours after the vicodin, but I figured the vic wasn't working so fuck it. Doc didn't give me too much info. He squeezed me in at the last minute. My brace is locked in at 30 degrees. can only move it about 5 degrees either way without severe pain if the brace was off. i still get shooting pain now and then. did you keep your brace on all the time? such as sleeping or resting? 7 fucking weeks? holy shit.

You are totally in the shit now. Succumb to it. Think about the things you can't do now and plan for those things. Yes, you will sleep in that brace, Don't move your leg around. Don't put weight on it. It is going to suck, so spend an appropriate amount of time dealing with this new reality from the acceptance angle. I sure hope you're not a single mom or dad. Drill that doc for info and find the absolute most qualified repair man for the job.

Search meniscus and start reading.

Thanks Splat, for kicks read this. Kind of redirects the wifes thinking for a while.
http://tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.php?t=127701

I do watch my two sons twice a week while the wife works (hairdresser on T and Th) should I look into day care (for those two days) a bit earlier than intending? I'm going to keep them tomorrow and see how it goes. Normally they go to day care when school is in session (I'm a teacher)?

Oh , shit.

Well, think of yourself as that new child she wanted.
If you can get her to think that way, things just might work out.

yikes!! just got your PM. I fortunately did not have a meniscus tear as bad as yours or splats. Sucks to have that happen with such a minor movement. Hopefully the tell tale pop was just the meniscus and not an acl.
take splats advice and hope for the best. Surgery within a week is pretty quick turnaround, you are lucky.

vicodin didnt work for me at all, I had percocet and that stuff rocks. of course i'll have to mention the colace and high fiber diet now too.

good luck, listen to your doc and keep us posted!

careful on taking vicodin and tylenol 3 with codine. Vicodin and tylenol 3 both have acetominophen in them. There have been cases where peeps have taken multiple OTC meds with acetominophen in them and accidentally OD'd. Call your doc and ask for something stronger then the Vicodin.

Went for an MRI Friday, but because knee is locked in a bent position, I couldn't fit into the the machine. The options are to knock me out intraveiniously (sp?), straighten my knee out and then do an MRI or I go in and do a CT scan. I think they would prefer the MRI, but I am against getting knocked out and the CT scan is quite simple. Any advice or been there, done that?

the other option is don't do the MRI and just have surgery and let them fix what they find. Obviously something is torn and mechanically locking the knee.

Best case: torn meniscus, they do a partial excision or repair. Other possibilities, meniscus tear and ACL tear, ACL meniscus and joint surface damage...

Which ever way you go you are looking at surgery to fix something it is just a matter of what. I realize this is why they want the MRI but if you don't fit in the machine....... plus a CT scan won't tell you a whole lot.

any updates orange?
I might be in a simliar, yet less severe, situation.

Went to see the Ortho man on Wednesday so we can talk, look at CT scan, and set up surgery. The CT scan was useless because they never injected me with the dye. He is pretty confident that all I have is a torn Meniscus with no lig damage. But he is unsure to the extent of the torn. Is it one tear or multiple tears on different angles and layers? Not sure until we go in on Thursday. He feels that I will be on the leg (tenderly of course) that day and PT the next. Funny thing - my wife has been awesome during all of this and I could have opted for a Tuesday surgery, but I knew her mom got tickets to go see Mama Mia on stage and thought she deserved it. So even though I am in pain, the worst part is the locked knee. Without that, It probably wouldn't be all that bad. I also want to give props to my soon-to-be 5 year old son. He has really been a big help. Feeding the dog and just helping out. Way to go Jack.

I'm sure Jack takes pride in helping out his dad.
What angle is your knee locked at?

I earlier said 30 degrees, but that was medicated and unable to read the T-scope accurately. It is at 80 degrees. Able to drive with the seat moved all the way forward and use my left for the braking.

I had artho surgery yesterday. He had to remove only 10% of the meniscus, but 80% was a flipped bucket handle (hopefully will heal). He put that back in place and tied it to the only good 10% that was left. Then he drilled tiny holes in the femur bone to have it drop bits of blood on the cartilage and speed up the healing (or something like that). Went to post-op this morning to remove the bandage and then to PT. Just worked a bit on range of motion to see how tight the ligs are. Doc doesn't want me to flex the knee more than 90 degrees for fear of injuring the attached 80%. Asked the PT guy how long till I golf and he said next year. Didn't ask about skiing yet. I am able to walk without crutches today, but surely not comfortable or trusting. Reminds me of my deceased shuffling-while-walking grandpa Slim.

im glad your up and moving around that quickly
pending what my MRI looks like Ill be getting both knees cleaned out in the near future

Between you and fiddler, I'm surprised. Cause some of us did some major non-weight time.
Glad to hear you're doing so well, but I advise you not to let on too soon to the wife.

Originally Posted by orangemarmalade

Went to see the Ortho man on Wednesday so we can talk, look at CT scan, and set up surgery. The CT scan was useless because they never injected me with the dye.

They (ahem....we) don't inject intravenous dye for a CT of the knee for your problem. Maaaybe an intra-articular injection would be OK (CT arthrogram) which is injecting into the joint, as the name implies. We did those before MRI.

MRI is about a zillion (maybe even two zillion) times better than a CT arthrogram.

Some MRIs have larger bores (openings) than others and should be able to accomodate you. Certainly you can get an open MRI and some provide very good images and consider that. You might ask why bother since you clearly have a problem. It can clarify things and help the surgeon plan surgery better and tell you wha to expect/not to expect.

Good luck. ++++ vibes

Vets just emailed me a pic of my knee the day after my surgery.....purty, huh?

Sure is purdy. I will take a pic today and try and post it.

the best part was the nurse shaving it with her electric shaver.

I can't believe how much swelling has occurred since two days after surgery. It was a balloon on Saturday and still is. the leg is wrapped from ankle to thigh to try and limit swelling.

? I have a motorized pump that rotates cold water through a bag that's strapped to my knee. Anybody use this and if so, how much? I will talk with the PT tomorrow. I hope I didn't fuck something up by thinking it was better than it was on Friday.

Cryo cuff in 20 minute intervals. GoNads has the details...

Saw the doc today for the one week check up. Says all looks well. But I'm not allowed to bend my knee more than 90 degrees for the next 8 weeks. That is because of where he stitched my good meniscus (10%) to the 70% that released from the bone and flapped over. If I bend more than that, the part where the hamstring and the meniscus are connected might separate. Will need crutches for the next 4 weeks or so. Not sure how not being able to bend my knee all the way will effect the recovery. any clues?

I wish I could post of pic of his hot 23 yr. old nurse.

Not sure why I posted this thread as my alias.

BUT

almost two years later and I bucket-handle tear my meniscus again. Up in attic helping roofers where to install bathroom-fan vent. Bending / twisting from joist to joist and ouch. Not the "POP" as last time, more of a slower tear. OUCH. Will see Dr. tomorrow as they are closed now.

FACK.

Fack! Sorry to hear that, mang. But that's what happened to me 4 months after my bucket handle surergy and I lost 60% of my meniscus and, because I am bowlegged and it was the medial meniscus, it has affected my knee profoundly, even now, two+ years later. It got arthritic as hell, the joint was/is? 3 mm out of line and I'm riding bike and walking as much as I can to try to get enough muscle built back up to hold it all together. For the last two years, it killed me to ski or spend much time on it but I got on some supplements that knocked down the pain enough to keep moving.