Meniscectomy

[RedWolf]

I tore my medial meniscus in January of 2006 while skiing (of course). I pretty much knew right away that it was torn, but I didn't really want to admit it because I didn't have time to take off for surgery. I ended up putting another 40+ days in on the hill after the tear. I'm a backpacking guide between May and December, so I hiked on it for eight months, which of course led into this ski season (and I've got another 40 or so in so far...) Basically, I've beat to shit whatever was left of my meniscus (the surgeon called it a "WHOPPER of a tear!"), and the best they can do now is remove the tear as its irrepairable. I didn't really want the repair anyway, as my surgeon claimed I wouldn't be back to 100% before 6 months, and I'm not willing to be still that long.

I'm scheduled for surgery on March 16, so I was essentially wondering if anyone around here has had a meniscectomy? What were your experiences? Recovery time? Did you notice any difference in your performance afterwards? etc., etc. I'm not a big fan of going under the knife, but I'm sick of having the flapping ends get stuck all up in my knee... that doesn't feel very nice. Any info or tips you can give me would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

[carl jay]

i may need a meniscectomy on my right knee cos i probably tore th medial meniscus in my right knee (getting an mri on friday) so i ant to know everyone elses experieces too.
redwolf: hows the mobility in your knee? i cant straighen mine completely or bend it much past maybe 100-110 degrees, so all i could do after the injury was cruise groomers and falling was absolutely not an option

[RedWolf]

Mobility for me is a touch and go kinda thing, but I'm always conscious of it just because I know there's a possibility of my knee failing me at any given second. Some days, I feel like I never got hurt. I'll have no problem hiking, climbing, getting into a back bowl or even getting a little air time. Now, keep in mind that I tore it over a year ago, so the initial swelling and all the fun that comes with it is long gone. But some days, I'll step wrong, or get bumped by my dog or something stupid, and my knee will go out and send me crashing to the ground while I wait for it to swell to the size of a softball. On those days, walking seems impossible (excruciating at best) and I can forget about bending my knee altogether.

Best of luck with your knee, Carl!

[peterslovo]

There have been numerous posts about torn menisci and trimming, repairs, etc. Just do some searching and you'll find that much of it has been discussed before.

Here's one to get you started:

http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...=torn+meniscus

Good luck with the knee.

[RedWolf]

Thanks for the link, peter!

[PrincessGruntyPuffs]

You will be very glad you did it. I've had 6 knee scopes, most of them torn menisci (sp?) due to some crashes as well as congenital defects in my knees. (I'm getting corrective surgery this spring to end this cycle of hell, but more on that in another post)

Anyhow, most of the time they cut out all the torn up shit and that clears you right up. It will hurt like hell that night after the anesthesia wears off, but then feels a lot better over the next couple days. The doc will want you to start bending your knee gently as soon as you're able. The risk with knee scope surgeries is development of scar tissue if you don't rehab it soon enough. But I think it's safe to say all of us here have an incentive to heal quickly!

Anyhow, you'll be on crutches for 1-3 days max, and limping for a few weeks at the most. At least that's been my experience. And not having the sensation of a sharp object stabbing your knee when the torn-up stuff catches is a welcome feeling.

Hope this helps

-PGP

[gimpy]

really shouldn't be a big deal. i had 60% of my medial removed and i was bc skiing 3 weeks out of surgery very conservatively and now 3 months out, it is at prolly 80-90% and doesn't hold me back.

[RedWolf]

Thanks for the replies! My ski season is now officially over, and the countdown till knife-time has begun - I just hope I heal up quick, I'm supposed to be back out on trail exactly two months from my surgery date...

[PrincessGruntyPuffs]

Good luck Red Wolf, let us know how it goes! And feel free to PM me with any questions.

[upallnight]

good luck, redwolf!

my repair (11 months ago) has failed, so i am in the same boat as you. i need to schedule surgery soon.

keep us posted on your progress. i'll be rooting for your quick and full recovery.

[drmark]

I know that people freak out when the conventional wisdom is defied.

Dr. Donald Shelbourne in the Am. J. of Sp. Medicine, in late 2006 published a ten year follow up of a large number of people who had a bucket handle tear of the medial menisus removed and they were compared to those who had a meniscal repair by quantative X-ray evaluation of the joint space.

There was no signifigant difference. To me, that means that doctors and patients have sure put in alot of unnecessary efforts.[/QUOTE]

[RedWolf]

Well, I'm home from the hospital now and somewhat awake. I'm told everything went really well! I can't feel a DAMN thing - I love you, vicodin! - so I guess its all good for now. I saw pictures from the surgery, and now I know why my knee hurt so much before - it looked like I put my meniscus through a paper shredder, the thing was WASTED! The good news was that it cleaned up nicely, that my ACL is just fine (there had been some concern as to whether or not I'd partially torn it), and I haven't done any other damage to the knee - SWEET! Doc said I could get on the stationary bike as soon as TOMORROW, and probably start bearing weight in two to three days, which is pretty good news - makes me think recovery will go nice and smooth! Thanks for the kind words, everyone! Now, back to March Madness...

[PrincessGruntyPuffs]

That's great to hear!! The worst part is the first night when the anesthesia wears off, ouch!

But after that, it just gets better, and you'll be amazed how quickly you'll bounce back when you start rehabbing right away.

[LancerM]

So Dr. Mark, you're saying that this study showed that having part of the meniscus removed caused no further damage to the knee when compared to those who received a repair? Crazy.

And in your opinion, how quickly does your knee wear down after a meniscus trim. I had to have 5% of mine removed in conjunction with a repair of another tear, which I hope is going to take. In fact, you answered a question a while back about some joint line pain I was having. I assume that the more taken out the quicker you're going to wear down, but is it really true that once you've had a large portion removed, it's "the beginning of the end for your knee" as some here have said. Just curious.