How did the dr diagnose your meniscus tear?

I had physio for a year before they sent me to a specialist. The specialist moved my knee around a bit and made me tense my muscles while putting pressure on the joints. It took all of 10 mins. He then said he was sending me for an MRI because he suspected a medial miniscus tear. He was spot on. I ended up having 1/3 of it removed in an operation shortly after it was diagnosed. It never healed fully after my operation and 2 years on I'm still in pain >.< I possibly re injured it in a car accident that I had last year. Anyway, don't put it off because it could become more serious, consult your doctor and see f they can organise for you to see a specialist.

My symptoms were pain when walking and especially kneeling. Pretty much pain all the time but especially with movement. The area you describe sounds about right.

Forgot to add, the pain never went away for me. I cry daily because of the pain but can't go for surgery right now so have to deal with It. ( I work a physical job and need to be in good physical condition to keep up so I can't have the surgery right now )

I had a diagnosed meniscus tear and knee scope some time ago, probably close to 10 years ago. I'm not normally one for obtaining medical advice from the internet, but I think it's fair to read about it if you keep in mind that what I say is my experience and it's particular to me. Your case could quite likely be different, but it never hurts to share experiences.

With that caveat, the symptoms you describe are very similar to my experience. I initially injured it trying to beat an infield ground ball to first base in a softball game. I knew I injured it immediately, and failed to beat the throw to boot. Afterwards, my knee was very sore, and I had a lot of difficulty with stairs just like you describe. On some occasions, I'd be walking along and my knee would just give out from under me.

My initial doctor visit was similar to yours. The doctor was pretty certain of his diagnosis, but did order the MRI and its results confirmed the torn meniscus. It was pretty straightforward, really. Did your doctor order an MRI? If so, I'd say to schedule it, and then hang out to learn the results and go from there.

I had the scope to trim off the torn portions. The surgery was successful, and my knee was much, much better.

With regard to my post-tear abilities and how it affected me in life:

I used to run a lot before the injury -- not sprints, longer runs up to 10 miles. Since the tear and surgery, my ability to do any kind of distance running with any frequency is mostly impossible. I've kept myself in good conditioning doing other activities like lifting, cardio conditioning, combatives, biking, etc. pretty much every day, and I can run a 5K or a 5 mile event with no problem. I don't have much trouble doing anything other than running long distances frequently. When I do squats or similar exercises, my knee makes a horrible popping noise that would concern me if I didn't know why. I do wear a knee brace when using any weights because it makes me nervous to not have the extra support. It's probably just a mental thing, but it works for me.

Last year, after running a few races, I thought I'd spend some time running and training specifically to run races. That only lasted about a week-and-a-half. After frequent runs, my knee felt like someone stuck a knife in the side of it and turned it. Big time pain and too tender to continue to run.

So, I keep doing the things I can, and run the occasional race. It really hasn't limited me all that much. However, if I did not have that surgery, I'm certain I would not be able to do the exercise I do. I know I would continue to re-aggravate the injury and continue to have to take time off. I know that I would not have been able to spend the time with my kids doing physical activities because I would have been limited.

That's my experience. It kind of stinks to have a meniscus tear, but as far as injuries and illnesses go, it hasn't been too bad.

It sounds like she did the two, physical-exam tests that they do. They feel along the joint line for tenderness, and then they do the McMurray test, where they bend your knee first, then straighten it and rotate it a bit as it straightens. If you have a torn meniscus, your knee clicks when they do this.
Short of an MRI, that is as good as physical exam gets.
The most telltale sign of a meniscus tear is that your knee "catches" sometimes, when you are taking a step or getting up, etc.
If you are not happy with your doc or your recovery so far, by all means, push for the MRI until they give in and get you one. But, if you don't have any of those signs.......? I know that when you hurt a big joint, and it is VERY swollen, it can feel like the injury must be really serious, and that the joint is unstable. But, then the swelling goes away and, suddenly, it is stable again and functional....and fine.
Good luck. I hope you don't have a tear.

I tore my cartilage in my knee about ten years ago. I did it when I landed on it weirdly after going over a vault in gymnastics. It was painful upon landing but I kept vaulting and didn't rest or ice it and that night it became very swollen and was still sore. I went to the doctor in the next few days and she said I had torn a tendon and that it would heal in a few weeks maximum. It was still painful in the few weeks following so I went back to a different doctor who suggested it might be a tear in the cartilage. I underwent some physio which didn't help.

About a month later I was referred to a different doctor who, after performing a physical examination, agreed with the diagnosis of torn cartilage and so they referred me to a specialist. The specialist told me to wait a few months to see if it would heal itself as I was still quite young (13). I was told to avoid anything which could aggrevate the injury (so I had to take a break from soccer, horse-riding, gymnastics, netball etc). The next appointment with the specialist was the same story; wait a few months, see if it heals etc. It was the most frustrating thing.

On one occasion sometime between appointments I was on my knees lighting a fire and when I went to stand up my knee was excruciatingly painful. For the next week I could hardly bare any weight on my knee and underwent physio almost daily. The physiotherapist got me riding a stationary bicycle during an appointment and when I hopped off I could bare my weight again - it was like magic! Unfortunately it only lasted for about 5 minutes at first but in time I was able to walk properly again. In the next appointment with the specialist he ordered an MRI and the results showed a tear in the meniscus.

A year after the injury I finally had an arthroscopy where some of the cartilage was removed. I still have it somewhere sitting in a jar =P The surgeon came to see me immediately following the surgery and told me that the tear was much worse than the MRI had shown.

After the surgery I had a week of bed rest but now my knee is completely fine. I try my best to balance my exercise routine with weightless exercises like swimming and biking, I never want to go through that again.

I didn't have any noises from my knee at any point but the pain was very sharp and specific to the joint. It was extremely painful whenever anyone pushed on the inside of the knee joint- quite deep in. When I couldn't bare weight on it, it definitely felt like something had 'caught' - as described by other people in the above posts.

I wish you all the best with your recovery; make sure you rest up and if possible try gently biking, swimming or aqua-jogging. A second opinion from another doctor is never a bad idea either.

tufel wrote: »

It sounds like she did the two, physical-exam tests that they do. They feel along the joint line for tenderness, and then they do the McMurray test, where they bend your knee first, then straighten it and rotate it a bit as it straightens. If you have a torn meniscus, your knee clicks when they do this.
Short of an MRI, that is as good as physical exam gets.
The most telltale sign of a meniscus tear is that your knee "catches" sometimes, when you are taking a step or getting up, etc.
If you are not happy with your doc or your recovery so far, by all means, push for the MRI until they give in and get you one. But, if you don't have any of those signs.......? I know that when you hurt a big joint, and it is VERY swollen, it can feel like the injury must be really serious, and that the joint is unstable. But, then the swelling goes away and, suddenly, it is stable again and functional....and fine.
Good luck. I hope you don't have a tear.

I totally forgot about that one ! Yes they straightened my leg and bent it several times and each time it clicked.

Please delete this post - double submitted sorry

Sorry for the double post, silly phone