Medial & posterior horn tear in lateral meniscus

frogribbit · 08-27-20, 10:18 AM

So I have a medial & posterior horn tear in my lateral meniscus. Orthopedic surgeon says he won't be able to tell how bad the tear is until he gets in there (surgery). He said he would fix it by "smoothing" the tear - not sure what that means. If it's a tear don't you sew it up? Basically he said they treat the pain, if there is pain or the knee is locking/popping then do surgery. I'm not getting much information on whether these types of things can heal themselves. I asked about wearing a brace and basically was told whatever brace feels comfortable & provides support. It does feel better than 3 weeks ago but I still can't bend it all of the way without some discomfort - my knee feels "full". It feels iffy going up stairs so my left leg is getting quite the workout. Swelling is down considerably but it still "aches" at night depending on position and going down hill is difficult.

Anyone with experience with this? Did you have surgery? Recovery time?

TIA

fanofladyvols · 08-27-20, 11:17 AM

Yipes!! Boy did your thread title make me wince.

I'm so sorry..
Do you know how you injured it?

I'm glad you got a diagnosis but these all sound like follow up questions to his office. Did you ask and not get answers?..Or are these things that you thought of later after adjusting to diagnosis?

I'm going to hope those who have healed comment but in the meantime, I'm sending you healing vibes!!!

frogribbit · 08-27-20, 11:35 AM

Both of my knees have always been a little tweaky and crackle when I go up the stairs. I was diagnosed with a very small posterior meniscus tear in my left knee in June. I do a lot of gardening so lots of bending, hauling, on my knees etc. Since I haven't been on my knees planting and spreading 300 bags of mulch my left knee feels better. I also had a session with PT to discuss ways to strengthen muscles supporting the knee. You'd think with exercise and gardening I wouldn't have weak muscles

I also exercise most days with weights/cardio.

I was actually doing some mobility exercises on a beginner Kettlebell dvd that got my right knee (the one in question now) a little cranky. Nothing painful but I could feel it. I went ahead and did a lower body weight workout the next day. Workout felt good and no pain but as the day went on my knee got more stiff/sore. I went to feed horses and just slightly turned and bam - it felt like someone stuck a knife on the inside of my knee. So weird! I had quite a bit of swelling over the next week, week and half which I iced and used ibuprofen.

The questions I have are after the follow up. I just didn't get a good direction on whether this could heal on its own. Or I run a bigger risk of injuring it further. Once it's torn is it ever back to "normal". I guess I should be wearing a brace on both knees when I get back to working out. This is an orthopedic surgeon so I feel like he is about surgery and I get that - it's what makes him money. Surgeons aren't about rehabbing you

Thanks for the healing vibes!

Kathy G · 08-27-20, 12:17 PM

My DH has had meniscus surgery twice (one in each knee). The OS told him the same, he wouldn't know how bad it was until he was actually operating. He healed pretty fast from both surgeries, he was up and walking around that same day and within 3 weeks he was back to normal.

I had ACL reconstruction and a meniscus repair in 2006 and it took me 4-5 months of PT and a few months after that to feel 100%. I had a cadaver graft though for my ACL so that's why it took so long to heal.

Hope you feel better! Knee pain is hard!

frogribbit · 08-27-20, 12:50 PM

Thanks Kathy for the information!

nancyzl · 08-27-20, 03:58 PM

A study I read about 2 years ago stated that surgery for meniscus tears was not useful when compared to the control group that did not have the surgery.
I will have to look for the study . My daughter had ACL surgery over 10 years ago which also also involved a slight meniscus tear . My understanding was it was the ACL repair which was the reason for the surgery .
Found the article from 4 years ago:

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/04/u...o-useless.html

alisoncooks · 08-27-20, 04:17 PM

I had an ACL and meniscus tear (2015? 16?). Surgery for the ACL -- the meniscus was left to heal on its own. It all totally sucked. Hope you get some good advice and it heals quickly!

SueT · 08-27-20, 05:54 PM

I had surgery for a lateral meniscus tear. The surgery was necessary because the piece of meniscus that was torn kept getting caught in my kneecap and locking up my knee. That was extremely painful. The surgeon explained that the surgery was necessary because the tear was too large to repair itself, and it would keep getting caught in my kneecap.

I had a very successful surgery and even though I can’t say my knee is 100%, I have complete range of motion and can do things like sit on my heels and play with my 3-year-old grandson on the floor.

I’m very glad I had the surgery. Lateral meniscus surgery is different than an ACL tear, by the way.

Hope this helps, and good luck. Knee problems are very scary!

Sue

bfit · 08-27-20, 09:34 PM

I know someone who had surgery for a torn meniscus, and she explained why they "shave" it off rather than sewing. It's like a crack or tear in your fingernail. If you clip your nail short enough or file it down the crack is gone, and it stops cracking further into your nail. Basically they just file off the part along the edge that is cracked, and there is still enough left.

frogribbit · 08-28-20, 10:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SueT

I had surgery for a lateral meniscus tear. The surgery was necessary because the piece of meniscus that was torn kept getting caught in my kneecap and locking up my knee. That was extremely painful. The surgeon explained that the surgery was necessary because the tear was too large to repair itself, and it would keep getting caught in my kneecap.

I had a very successful surgery and even though I can’t say my knee is 100%, I have complete range of motion and can do things like sit on my heels and play with my 3-year-old grandson on the floor.

I’m very glad I had the surgery. Lateral meniscus surgery is different than an ACL tear, by the way.

Hope this helps, and good luck. Knee problems are very scary!

Sue

Glad you had a successful surgery! I'm ready to get back on the floor and play with my 18 mth old granddaughter.

What was the recovery like?

Support VF
VF Membership Subscription
Shop These Vendors
Activa	Collage Video
Amazon.com	eBay.com
Amazon.ca (Canada)	Half.com
Amazon.co.uk (UK)	Junonia
Amazon.fr (France)	Onehanesplace.com
BN.com	Overstock.com
Buy.com	Road Runner Sports
CenturyFitness.com	Sierra Trading Post

08-27-20, 10:18 AM
frogribbit VF Supporter Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Kansas	Medial & posterior horn tear in lateral meniscus So I have a medial & posterior horn tear in my lateral meniscus. Orthopedic surgeon says he won't be able to tell how bad the tear is until he gets in there (surgery). He said he would fix it by "smoothing" the tear - not sure what that means. If it's a tear don't you sew it up? Basically he said they treat the pain, if there is pain or the knee is locking/popping then do surgery. I'm not getting much information on whether these types of things can heal themselves. I asked about wearing a brace and basically was told whatever brace feels comfortable & provides support. It does feel better than 3 weeks ago but I still can't bend it all of the way without some discomfort - my knee feels "full". It feels iffy going up stairs so my left leg is getting quite the workout. Swelling is down considerably but it still "aches" at night depending on position and going down hill is difficult. Anyone with experience with this? Did you have surgery? Recovery time? TIA

08-27-20, 11:17 AM
fanofladyvols Join Date: May 2004 Location: Modify City, State of Fierce	Yipes!! Boy did your thread title make me wince. I'm so sorry.. Do you know how you injured it? I'm glad you got a diagnosis but these all sound like follow up questions to his office. Did you ask and not get answers?..Or are these things that you thought of later after adjusting to diagnosis? I'm going to hope those who have healed comment but in the meantime, I'm sending you healing vibes!!! __________________ Don't just work hard, work smart....Pat Head Summitt Never give up on your body!-- Miranda Esmonde-White Word/Guiding Principle for 2024: Embrace: embrace my faith, my family, my friends, myself, the process, the progress, the hard work, the strength program I choose, the recovery methods and rest I need, my life, the good times, and the memories of good people.

08-27-20, 11:35 AM
frogribbit VF Supporter Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Kansas	Both of my knees have always been a little tweaky and crackle when I go up the stairs. I was diagnosed with a very small posterior meniscus tear in my left knee in June. I do a lot of gardening so lots of bending, hauling, on my knees etc. Since I haven't been on my knees planting and spreading 300 bags of mulch my left knee feels better. I also had a session with PT to discuss ways to strengthen muscles supporting the knee. You'd think with exercise and gardening I wouldn't have weak muscles I also exercise most days with weights/cardio. I was actually doing some mobility exercises on a beginner Kettlebell dvd that got my right knee (the one in question now) a little cranky. Nothing painful but I could feel it. I went ahead and did a lower body weight workout the next day. Workout felt good and no pain but as the day went on my knee got more stiff/sore. I went to feed horses and just slightly turned and bam - it felt like someone stuck a knife on the inside of my knee. So weird! I had quite a bit of swelling over the next week, week and half which I iced and used ibuprofen. The questions I have are after the follow up. I just didn't get a good direction on whether this could heal on its own. Or I run a bigger risk of injuring it further. Once it's torn is it ever back to "normal". I guess I should be wearing a brace on both knees when I get back to working out. This is an orthopedic surgeon so I feel like he is about surgery and I get that - it's what makes him money. Surgeons aren't about rehabbing you Thanks for the healing vibes! Last edited by frogribbit; 08-27-20 at 11:35 AM. Reason: thank you

08-27-20, 12:17 PM
Kathy G VF Supporter Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: USA	My DH has had meniscus surgery twice (one in each knee). The OS told him the same, he wouldn't know how bad it was until he was actually operating. He healed pretty fast from both surgeries, he was up and walking around that same day and within 3 weeks he was back to normal. I had ACL reconstruction and a meniscus repair in 2006 and it took me 4-5 months of PT and a few months after that to feel 100%. I had a cadaver graft though for my ACL so that's why it took so long to heal. Hope you feel better! Knee pain is hard! __________________ Completed Races: (4) 50 milers (2) 42 milers (1) 50k (10) Marathons (2) 20 milers (3) 25k’s (16) Half Marathons (1) 20k (6) 10 milers (1) 15k

08-27-20, 12:50 PM
frogribbit VF Supporter Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Kansas	Thanks Kathy for the information!

08-27-20, 03:58 PM
nancyzl Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Northern NJ	A study I read about 2 years ago stated that surgery for meniscus tears was not useful when compared to the control group that did not have the surgery. I will have to look for the study . My daughter had ACL surgery over 10 years ago which also also involved a slight meniscus tear . My understanding was it was the ACL repair which was the reason for the surgery . Found the article from 4 years ago: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/04/u...o-useless.html Last edited by nancyzl; 08-27-20 at 04:05 PM. Reason: addition of article

08-27-20, 04:17 PM
alisoncooks Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: TarHeel country	I had an ACL and meniscus tear (2015? 16?). Surgery for the ACL -- the meniscus was left to heal on its own. It all totally sucked. Hope you get some good advice and it heals quickly!

08-27-20, 05:54 PM
SueT Join Date: Apr 2009	I had surgery for a lateral meniscus tear. The surgery was necessary because the piece of meniscus that was torn kept getting caught in my kneecap and locking up my knee. That was extremely painful. The surgeon explained that the surgery was necessary because the tear was too large to repair itself, and it would keep getting caught in my kneecap. I had a very successful surgery and even though I can’t say my knee is 100%, I have complete range of motion and can do things like sit on my heels and play with my 3-year-old grandson on the floor. I’m very glad I had the surgery. Lateral meniscus surgery is different than an ACL tear, by the way. Hope this helps, and good luck. Knee problems are very scary! Sue

08-27-20, 09:34 PM
bfit Join Date: Nov 2005	I know someone who had surgery for a torn meniscus, and she explained why they "shave" it off rather than sewing. It's like a crack or tear in your fingernail. If you clip your nail short enough or file it down the crack is gone, and it stops cracking further into your nail. Basically they just file off the part along the edge that is cracked, and there is still enough left.