Need your opinion

hopeitworks
hopeitworks Posts: 284 Member
edited September 20 in Fitness and Exercise
I would really need some input from everyone. I was having a lot of swelling and stiffness in my knee that would come and go. Sometimes it would get pretty swollen and I couldn't bend my knee all the way, but I never really had any pain. I am able to run on it and also do lunges and squats pretty much pain free, except for some grinding now and then. I went to the doctor and he did an MRI which shows I have a torn meniscus and a Baker's cyst (which is fluid in a sac behind the knee). The doctor is suggesting that I have surgery to repair the torn meniscus. He showed me the tear on the MRI so there is definitely one there. My question is since I really am not having any pain, should I have the surgery? I would probably be out of commission (no cardio, running, etc.) for about 4 to 6 weeks. If you found out you had a tear but did not have pain in your knee, would you go ahead with the surgery? I was thinking that maybe I should get it done now, before I do start having pain, but then again I was thinking why should I have surgery now since I don't have pain. I could use some input. Thanks.

Replies

  • weaverc
    weaverc Posts: 158
    I would follow the recommendations of your doctor. After all he did go to med school for all those years, so he might know what he is talking about. I think if you let it go you might regret it later when you do start expereiencing pain.
  • kwardklinck
    kwardklinck Posts: 1,601
    Surgery now might prevent worse injury later. I wouldn't run on a torn meniscus. You really don't want to wait until it's so bad you cant' walk on it.
  • lilchino4af
    lilchino4af Posts: 1,292 Member
    Surgery now might prevent worse injury later. I wouldn't run on a torn meniscus. You really don't want to wait until it's so bad you cant' walk on it.
    Agreed. I can tell you from experience that knee pain is no joke. At least you have the option of surgery w/4-6 weeks recovery time. Mine wasn't bad enough for surgery but I wasn't allowed to put my knee through any kind of stress (running, lunges, pushups, etc) for 9 months!!! Definitely do the surgery before it gets worse!
  • justann
    justann Posts: 276 Member
    Get a second opinion! To me knee surgery is a major operation and I would get a second opinion on anything that serious.
  • AmandaB4588
    AmandaB4588 Posts: 655
    Take your uncertainties to your doctor. Get a 2nd opinion, 3rd, 4th, however many to make you feel comfortable with your decision. Find out what the benefits/risks of surgery are now vs. the benefits/risks of waiting and weigh your options.
  • SunnySmiles22
    SunnySmiles22 Posts: 8
    Surgery now might prevent worse injury later. I wouldn't run on a torn meniscus. You really don't want to wait until it's so bad you cant' walk on it.
    Agreed. I can tell you from experience that knee pain is no joke. At least you have the option of surgery w/4-6 weeks recovery time. Mine wasn't bad enough for surgery but I wasn't allowed to put my knee through any kind of stress (running, lunges, pushups, etc) for 9 months!!! Definitely do the surgery before it gets worse!

    I definitely agree with these two. Prevention is the best method for healthy living. If your doctor recommends getting the surgery, you should do it. It's better to do something now, while it's still small, than to do it later and have worse results.
  • hawkeye01
    hawkeye01 Posts: 162
    I tore mine about 15 years ago while playing softball. I planted my foot on 1st base and felt it instantly. My doctor was also the team doctor for a new NFL franchise and since I wasn't a professional athlete, he recommended I just not jog/run on it for about 6 months. After than, it was fine.

    Each person is different, but I would suggest getting a 2nd opinion before I have surgery. Having surgery is a major step and while it could repair your knee, it may not as well as cause all sorts of other complications. Not sure what your relationship is with your doc and you certainly don't want to offend him by questioning his professional opinion, doctors are not all knowing and this is your health/well being we are talking about here. Just my two cents.

    What ever you decide, good luck and let me know how it goes.

    Hawkeye
  • weidner
    weidner Posts: 127
    I agree with all, do the surgery now, you don't want to run the risk of injuring the knee further and then being out longer. Also, there are exercises out that you will be able to do while recouping!!! I am sure when people see this post, they will give you multiple ideas. This site is about being healthy and losing weight -remember that!!!!

    Good luck and keep us posted as to your progress.
  • FireMonkey
    FireMonkey Posts: 500 Member
    Everybody is different - there are lots of things to consider like how big is the tear, where is it located, what type of surgery is your doctor wanting to do? Your doctor is your best resource since he knows you and he has seen the MRI results but if you're really doubtful you need to go back to talk to your doctor or ask for a specialist referral.

    You can have a read here to give you some more information but keep in mind it's general information just to give you an idea:

    http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/meniscus-tear-topic-overview
  • cathcakey
    cathcakey Posts: 288 Member
    It's quite unusual that your doctor would recommend surgery if you weren't having any symptoms.
    Tearing a meniscus is a lot more common than people realise - if you gave MRI's to a random group of people I wouldn't be surprised if quite a few had a tear and no idea about it.

    The most common symptom of a torn meniscus is for your knee to lock out. This is when the loose part of the meniscus gets in the way of the rest of the mechanics of the knee. If this hasn't ever happened to you then I would consider all my options apart from surgery.

    Unfortunately (and I hope I'm not being too blunt here) at the end of the day, most knee injuries will result in joint arthritis when you're older, but surgery will almost certainly do that job for you. If you're free of symptoms I would be tempted to try and avoid surgery and strengthen all the surrounding muscles to try and give the knee as much support as possible.
  • questionablemethods
    questionablemethods Posts: 2,174 Member
    It's quite unusual that your doctor would recommend surgery if you weren't having any symptoms.
    Tearing a meniscus is a lot more common than people realise - if you gave MRI's to a random group of people I wouldn't be surprised if quite a few had a tear and no idea about it.

    The most common symptom of a torn meniscus is for your knee to lock out. This is when the loose part of the meniscus gets in the way of the rest of the mechanics of the knee. If this hasn't ever happened to you then I would consider all my options apart from surgery.

    Unfortunately (and I hope I'm not being too blunt here) at the end of the day, most knee injuries will result in joint arthritis when you're older, but surgery will almost certainly do that job for you. If you're free of symptoms I would be tempted to try and avoid surgery and strengthen all the surrounding muscles to try and give the knee as much support as possible.

    I have heard this from doctors as well. All kinds of things can appear on MRIs of randomly selected people who are having no pain whatsoever. It doesn't mean that it necessarily needs surgery or that knee surgery would actually even help. (I'm gong to try to find the source I am thinking of particularly and I will post a link when I find it. )

    Speaking from experience, knee surgery is a BIG DEAL. I had a ligament replacement. It was pretty necessary because my kneecap kept dislocating, making me afraid to do even normal every day activities. The recovery took MONTHS. I couldn't even bend my knee to 90 degrees until two months after surgery and the muscles in my surgical leg atrophied insane amounts. Granted, this was a different surgery and some knee surgeries require less recovery time. That said, my opinion is to get a 2nd (3rd, 4th) opinion before going forth with the surgery.
  • hopeitworks
    hopeitworks Posts: 284 Member
    Thanks to everyone for all your input. I have a lot to consider and don't want to make the wrong decision which could affect me later on. I love the way everybody on this site looks out for each other. You're all the best!!
  • questionablemethods
    questionablemethods Posts: 2,174 Member
    Here's that link that I mentioned earlier. It is a link to a podcast by a doctor. In the beginning of this particular episode, she discusses some studies that found 1) most people with MRIs showing meniscal tears don't have pain and 2) knee surgery for these issues doesn't seem to improve people's pain (those who do have it) more than other methods. Some interesting stuff to consider. I recommend giving it a listen. Best of luck!

    http://www.podcastdirectory.com/podshows/3671110
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