meniscal tear

[carolyn]

I took about a 10ft fall 6-7 weeks ago, landed on my feet, off my pad.

The dr thought initially that I broke my fibula. Xrays came back okay. After little improvement in the first 3 weeks he suggested I had a hairline fracture and/or tore my menisci (neither which will show up on normal xrays). RICE is all you can do, he said.

 

I was getting a little annoyed with the fact that I still cant really climb, bike, hike, kayak, etc after 6+ weeks. Enough of the random pain and swelling! IM OVER IT! Knowing that I am planning a trip out to the PNW in about 7 weeks, I NEED to get this thing better.

 

So I went back to the dr today. Without an MRI he cant say for sure whats wrong. I have symptoms of a fracture and symptoms of a tear. Im waiting for results on the xrays to see if it shows any healing fractures. If it doesnt then I need to make a choice:

*Get an MRI. If there is a tear I will probably (but not necessarily) need surgery. If I were to do the surgery asap then I should be good to go for my trip in Sept.

(Keep in mind I dont have insurance)

 

*Suck it up and deal with it.

My only concern with this avenue is whether or not I can tear it more or make it worse.

 

So to make a short story long ...has anyone had experience with a menisci tear? Can I hurt it any worse or will it heal if I keep taking it easy?

[cj001f]

So to make a short story long ...has anyone had experience with a menisci tear? Can I hurt it any worse or will it heal if I keep taking it easy?

 

My sister had a torn meniscus. The Sports Medicine People at her school misdiagnosed it - so she played a full season of D1 soccer on it. Couple Months after the season finished, her knee locked - when they finally diagnosed it correctly. Instead of having it scoped, which would have been what happened if she'd had it treated orginially, she had to have a meniscus transplant. Alot more $, a whole lot more time of her feet (6 weeks)

[CatManDoo]

I just had the surgery for tear repair this past April and have recovered nicely altough there is still some slight swelling at the scope entry points (I was doing some moderate rock climbing within 4 weeks). I'm no doc but what was said to me is that meniscus rarely heals itself which is why the surgery is to cut unstable sections and suck them out. That is what was done for me. I really don't know how I got the tear, I have always had some 'instability' in that knee and think I have had the tear for a while. A year ago I developed a bakers cyst at the point of the tear and that cyst was aweful painful. It was only the cyst that led to the diagnosis of the tear(MRI). Doc said I could just have the cyst drained but it would keep coming back as long as the tear was present (which tells me I could have kept on going with the tear without totally destroying my knee - like to think doc would have warned me of that) But, with the experience of the last poster, it is probably different for us all depending on the nature and position of the tear (mine was horizontal/uncommon). Good luck with your knee and have fun when you get here !!

[rbw1966]

I had a meniscal tear several years ago. Doc told me at the time that I didn't HAVE to have surgery but that I would eventually need it as the tear got worse. It will not heal itself. I didn't have any pain from the tear so I sucked it up for a while but in the end I am really glad I got the surgery.

 

Its a relatively minor procedure and I was back to biking, running, etc pretty quickly.

 

This subject has come up before--a search might help you find more information.

 

Rob

[glacier]

I had a tear several years back that I lived with for a while until my knee began to lock - The tear was also a horizontal tear most likely due, at the time, to a damaged acl that allowed my knee to twist. I had a scope job done that removed about 60+ % of the meniscus, followed by about 6-8 weeks of downtime (limited activity). I think my recovery time was a bit longer than that of friends who have had similar work done, partly due to the severity of the tear, and partly due to the doctor's conservative attitude.

 

Similarly, I went to PT this spring for some pain in my opposite knee - I thought it was a ligament, and after some assessment and PT, my therapist interpreted the pain to be from a minor meniscal tear. Again, I wouldn't be sure without an MRI, and if the tear is minor, even an MRI may not be definitive.

 

With respect to your injury - in general, cartilage doesn't heal much/quickly, so continued activity can exacerbate the injury. Can you get PT to help stabilize the knee and decrease further damage? It may be stop-gap, and surgery may likely be down the road. If you select surgery, expect to be on limited good behavior for a while (included your trip out west).

[carolyn]

Thanks for the information and thoughts.

I did a search before posting...must have spelled it wrong...I did find one AFTER I posted. Oh well.

 

After a bit more research, asking around, and thinking I have decided to figure out a way to get the MRI. If surgery is what I need I will do it and figure out how to pay for it. I want to be able to walk in 20yrs ya know?

 

Arg. Sucky!

Well, guess I get to keep working on my pullups.

What a monster I will be when this is all over!

[glacier]

Well, guess I get to keep working on my pullups.

What a monster I will be when this is all over!

 

Yeah 6 weeks of campusboard training at the time helped assuage the climbing jonesing and turned me into a freak for climbing that autumn.

[billcoe]

Wow: I think I just figured out why my left knee has been excuciatingly locking up every once in a while. I'll have the Doc's look at it this winter if I don't get a season pass.

 

I was going to say ask Hanger, if I heard him right, he had that surgury and seemed happy to have had it. I thought he said it was a "meniscus" though.

or

"miscue"?

or

"Menstrual something or???"

 

I recognise I should have listened better, but had not heard the word "Minibiscuit" or whatever... before.

 

 

Point is:

 

 

 

Good luck with it Carolyn. Keep us posted.

[carolyn]

Hey! I came accross some GOOD news today (knock on wood)!

 

I had an mri set up at the county hospital for next week.

 

However, when I took this little boy I work with to physical therapy at a different hospital than usual I saw a sign about how they offer financial assistance to those who qualify...no one is turned away. Well, Ive heard that one before. For some reason I decided it was worth a shot to do a little research. Turns out, if the woman I spoke with on the phone was correct, I qualify for free care at any of the allina clinics and hospitals. This would include my mri and surgery if needed!!!!!

 

Sounds like I should be able to get the mri scheduled within the next week at a different hospital. Im familiar with the hospital and know they are one of the top in the state.

 

Someone had also sent me a pm regarding clinical trials. I did some research and couldnt come up with anything. Its a good thing to remember, tho. I found a site that seemed pretty comprehensive and updated regularly if anyone is ever in need...

clinical trials

[billcoe]

Awesome news!

 

Good luck!

[carolyn]

I had an mri yesterday on my knee.

My dr called today and left a message for m.

He said what they could see is that I have a fair amount of degeneration in the cartilage (the meniscus), but no tear so surgery at this time would not necessarily help me.

 

No healing fracture showed, but he said I had a very severe bone contusion...not of the fibula (the suspected bone), but the tibia. This makes more sense considering the fibula is a non weightbearing bone and the tibia is..thats why I have/had so much pain when walking. He believes Im in the clear to climb even if it hurts. With the contusion if you dont take it easy it can turn into a hairline fracture..etc. From what little I have read it sounds like it could take up to 6 months to be pain free. Sucks! As long as I dont do any more damage I think I can suck it up!

 

I guess what I am wondering is the how I can regenerate the degenerating cartilage (if I can). "no surgery at this time"...does that mean I will need it in the future? I know it is related to osteoarthritis and arthritis. makes me nervous because my grandma has VERY severe and debilitating arthritis.

 

Well, I will try not to worry too much until I actually speak with the dr next week. In the meantime, I am in the clear to climb after 2 months - pain or not!!!!!