Torn Meniscus

[L8 APEKS]

See what happens when you play with your meniscus too much?

Like my coach used to say...

"Tape an aspirin to it and walk it off!"

Hope you heal up well. Don't do too much, too soon - I am notorious for re-injuring myself because of that.

[northshore]

Oh man!! Heal up quick!

[Pain Freak]

Man, you'd never know she was hurtin with the way she still rides. Climbing and descending. Yeah, I remember when you told me Saturday and it got me to thinking again what I'd do if I had to stay off the bike for any extended period of time. I really think I'd go nuts, well nuttier.

I hope you heal quick and it works for you. I think of surgery always as a last result. I'm sure you are dure you need it and it sounds like you do. Good luck.

[hardtail77]

Hey Nancy - good luck to you....only rode once with you and Roger. It was in January at Will Rogers. My wife was the one cleaning all the technical. The knee is definitely a problem area for me too. I had a total menisectomy back in the early 80's that has my left knee arthritic, and maybe in need of replacement. I have been in PT since the end of February, and have finally reached a point where the knee moves well. I can know ride to work again (I had a 2 year streak), and am ready for some dirt. I really reccomend PT prior to surgery. It will make your muscles recover more quickly after. Oh yeah, get a second opinion, and make sure your ortho is a young guy. Young doctors tend to be more up on all the new procedures. Just make sure they do volume. Hope to see you and Roger on the trail again...we'll be at the back re-grouping reading the map.

[luna]

I tore my ACL,MCL & Meniscus at the MX track. I didn't crash, all it was my toe caught the tractor tire on the inside line & felt it pop.

I had surgery at the end of 2004 & my knee feels just like the other one, normal. No pain or limited mobility. The only time I feel discomfort is when I'm snowboarding & it's super cold out.

I had Kaiser do my surgery. I was assigned an ortho #1, however I googled & researched my doctor & found he was more a shoulder specialist. I went to an outside ortho & paid a consultation for one of the top ortho's in SD who does alot of professional athletes & he recommended another doctor, ortho #2 at Kaiser. I talked to a few guys also at the track & they too had ortho #2 at Kaiser do their knee's & were very happy on the surgery. I researched ortho #2 & his specialty was knees & there was a ton of info on him on the web too.

I did the full 6 months the ortho recommended for rehab, I figured I only wanted to do this once, so no rush to trying to get back & ride MX.

PT consisted of stretching , light weights, & stationary bicycle.

If you want the surgery, I definitely recommend you research your ortho & if possible talk to other people who had the surgery done by them.

Good Luck

[OTHRIDER]

Sorry to hear the bum news denmother. I think our knees are twins.

Five years ago I had my right knee's meniscus repaired/removed. I'm now bone on bone - I've got to be careful just stepping off of a curb or the pain will drop me. They also did a heavy scrapping and all of the clicking, catching etc. is gone. Given that 95% of the old pain is gone I call it a success! My left knee is next and I limp about 50% of the week.

Lucky for me, when I ride I have NO PAIN!! I got home from work tonight & my knee was throbbing. I went out for a 5 mile mini Fully Loop and ALL the pain is gone.

I hope you have as much luck as I did. Listen to the PT and gradually work back into riding. Oh yeah, record some of your favorite shows for the first few days on the couch.

[destroyer]

Originally Posted by luna

If you want the surgery, I definitely recommend you research your ortho & if possible talk to other people who had the surgery done by them.

Good Luck

I SECOND THIS! Do research on your doctor!

I had Dr. Kelekar up here in Apple Valley do mine and it's been great! I highly recommend him, although I'm sure there is another great doctor closer to you.

Also one of the best exercises for me was pedaling the stationary bike backwards.

[katonk]

I had meniscus surgery on July 18th 2007; out of work for a week, back on the bike a few weeks after that, was in Mammoth on September 1st. It was still painful to ride, but not as bad as it was before the surgery. I recommend taking it easy for a few extra weeks; it will speed your over all recovery time. I'm still not 100% on my knee. Maybe 95%.

After the initial healing is done and you're in physical therapy your ability to walk and ride will begin to improve rapidly. Running may take a bit longer; it was months for me. If you don't already have a foam roll, now is the time to get one. I found that stretching my IT band reduced my post surgery pain and got me on the bike faster.

Best of luck!

[mfoga]

If you decide to get a second opinion or can change the doctor and they take your insurance I would highly recommend Dr Wall at Community Medical Group. They are in riverside on 14th and Market. I know many athletes that have had lots of knee surgeries done by him with great results. They also have great PT facilities on site.

[Johnny Dirt]

Hey Nancy
I had orthoscopic surgery on a posterior horn/lateral meniscal test on Jan 24th. I was riding at El Moro on Feb 18th with my doctor's blessing. The biggest thing you NEED to do is research your doctor! Sounds like its non-emergent so find a sugeon in your group that specializes in knees, all major hospitals have one or two that do that. My guy says if its torn and your over 25, its a matter of cleaning it out, not repairing it.
Surgery and post-op weren't too bad. It was done on a Thursday and Iwalked out of the Recovery Room without crutches! Started PT on Monday. Mostly stationary bike, stretching and easy weights. Also rubberband workouts at home.
Went in for a follow-up on Presidents Day with my bike in the back of my truck and asked if I could ride, the answer was YES!
I met you at the campout last month. I was about 7~8 weeks post-op and did the "slacker ride" with Andy and Anne on Saturday nut had to pass on Tomas Mtn on Sunday. This month I've been doing Holy Jim/Trabuco loops no problem.
Please keep me posted on your progress and let me know if I could help in any way.

[denmother]

I have a great Orthopedist (Dr. Heinen/Riverside Sports Clinic) who specializes in shoulders and knees. He is the one who did my Rotator Cuff/Bicep repair surgery several years ago.

[mfoga]

Originally Posted by denmother

I have a great Orthopedist (Dr. Heinen/Riverside Sports Clinic) who specializes in shoulders and knees. He is the one who did my Rotator Cuff/Bicep repair surgery several years ago.

You are in VERY capable hands then. I worked with the Sport Clinic in HS as Athletic Trainer and have know some of them for over 25 years.

[Dusty]

Sounds like you did some serious damage. They can do alot in surgery and PT. Take your time and heal completely so you can ride better than ever.

[hoovermd]

My advice:
Damn the insurance and seek the bext surgeon.

I worked for an implant manufacturer (ortho, not breast) and learned quite quickly that the Doc make the difference. Remember, you will live witht he result the rest of your life.

In Jan 2005 I got in a car accident and blew out 2 discs in my neck (C5-C6-C7). I sought out one of the top neurosurgeons in the world. Went to London (surgery isn't FDA approved here) and ended up with a spectacular result. 2 artificial disks in my neck and I regained full motion:

[SheDevil]

Originally Posted by hoovermd

My advice:
Damn the insurance and seek the bext surgeon.

I worked for an implant manufacturer (ortho, not breast) and learned quite quickly that the Doc make the difference. Remember, you will live witht he result the rest of your life.

In Jan 2005 I got in a car accident and blew out 2 discs in my neck (C5-C6-C7). I sought out one of the top neurosurgeons in the world. Went to London (surgery isn't FDA approved here) and ended up with a spectacular result. 2 artificial disks in my neck and I regained full motion:

So what did this cost you????? I have a cervical fusion and two more herniations BECAUSE the fusion immobilizes you so much... I'd be very interested to know the story with this. Why is it not approved here?

Sorry to derail Nancy...I hope you heal quick!!!

[hoovermd]

Originally Posted by SheDevil

So what did this cost you????? I have a cervical fusion and two more herniations BECAUSE the fusion immobilizes you so much... I'd be very interested to know the story with this. Why is it not approved here?

Sorry to derail Nancy...I hope you heal quick!!!

Uh, don't ask!
American Express financed the whole deal. Got lotsa miles though
I was fortunate enough to have enough dough in my savings acct (we were saving for a house construction project) to fund the fix while the insurance company dicked around.

The interesting thing is that I finally had to turn this over to a lawyer guy because the insurance absolutely refused to fix the neck.
I figure if I have the right to get my car fixed anywhere then I should have the right to get my body fixed right? Not so according to them.

The short story is that the FDA has not seen fit to approve cervical disc replacement in the US. Don't ask why since the EU has been doing it for a few years though.

Mr. Adrian Casey was my doc, and my surgery was done at the Wellington Hospital: http://www.thewellingtonspinalunit.com/team.asp

Couldn't be happier with the result and I hope long term it was the right decision but for now it clearly was...

[Shu]

Get the surgery now and you won't regret it...it may take a little out of your riding time now but will let you ride for many years to come...also the older we(I'm 41) get the slower we recover...

[0gravity]

Originally Posted by denmother

Symptoms: Catching, clicking, intermittent shooting pains in my knee cap, limited range of motion and some swelling.

Basically, surgery is the only way it will heal. It is torn from the middle front to the middle back. I also have athritis and calcium in the cartilage that's left. And bone spurs. They will drill several holes and clip off the torn sections that are causing the knee to "catch". The whole process should take 2 months and then I will be back on the back.

Yep, you have to have the surgery. Almost nothing heals inside the knee after an injury because there's little or no blood flow. That's why MCL and LCL tears (both on the outsides of the knee) often heal on their own. But not the miniscus. Bummer for you, good luck with the surgery.

If you don't already have a cryocuff (photo), get one. It's indispensable for knee pain, swelling, etc.

I had my ACL replaced with a hamstring graf and got a staph infection from the surgery and almost died. Seriously. But that's rare. I feel very lucky to be alive and my knee at 97% of where it used to be.

[JoeTruth]

Ouch! That's a long list of wrongs. Sounds like surgery is a must. Get it done, rehab and you'll be better then new. Not been through it myself but I hear that if you slack-off on the rehab and don't strengthen your knee and surrounding ligaments from the start, it can remain problematic.

My doctor just told me yesterday that I have "Plantar Fasciitis" and gave me some stupid crutches. Things we could've easily avoided 20 years ago but that's just the way it goes. Best of luck, Nancy!