My husband is dealing with the exact same thing right now. Torn meniscus leading to arthritis, Baker's cycst and he also has a slight stress fracture as well. His doctor told him that he should look for alternate means of exercise than running because the arthritis will only get worse, but he is stubborn. The doctor said if he insists on running, just know that he will likely pay a price for it and that he should probably stick to 5Ks. He is currently wearing a brace (since January) and has not run yet. He is 52. Sorry that I have no advice. The advice that I give my husband is to get on his bike. I think he will be trying to do more trail running when he feels he is ready. Did your doctor give you any guidance concerning running?

A friend of mine had bone on bone arthritis in her knees. She did hyaluron shots in her knees for several years, then had a knee replacement. She continued to do marathons until her TKR. After the surgery a year ago, she continues to do half marathons and is thinking about a marathon next year.

One thing she did both before the surgery and afterwards, is a lot of pool running. Some of her long runs were half in the pool, half outside.

Ask about the shots, they can help by providing a replacement for the torn/missing meniscus. DH had the shots before heading out on a six month backpacking trip. Without it, we would never have finished.