Meniscus Damage :(

ltollagson
ltollagson Posts: 11
edited December 2024 in Introduce Yourself
Hi everyone! In March, I was diagnosed with what we are pretty sure is meniscus damage. This was the result of a week of Insanity....oops! I should have known better, as I have had meniscus damage in the past. But it hasn't cause me any problems in over 10 years. My doctor has said he doesn't recommend an MRI or orthopedic referral yet because my legs are very strong and he was confident i would see improvement without physical therapy....but it's up to me really. He recommended I do only what feels comfortable as far as exercising goes, and i should see significant improvement in 4-6 weeks. So I've been doing a lot of bike riding, elliptical and upper body work. It has been nearly 3 months, I am definitely noticing some improvement, but I'm not satisfied if this is as good as it's going to get. I still have pain with squats/lunges/stairs/major bending and I can't completely straighten it out comfortably. I plan to see my doctor again in a couple weeks, to see what he says now, but just wondering if anyone has been in a similar situation. If there are any tips, suggestions, anything....I would appreciate it. It's very, very frustrating not being able to participate in the high impact exercises I am used to and love. It is keeping me from playing volleyball & golf as well. Thanks!

Replies

  • TGKvr
    TGKvr Posts: 123 Member
    Oh do I feel your pain! Last summer I had four meniscus tears in my left knee - the medial tear was repaired using stitches, the others just got cut out. As good as the repair was supposed to be for long term, it was an extremely long recovery. Then, just as I was about healed, I injured my other knee with a tibial spine fracture. Sooo... I definitely understand the pain of not being able to do your normal activities (for me, hiking, climbing, caving, paddling, skiing).

    The best advice I can give is to strengthen the quads. Quads, quads, quads. Hamstring presses, straight leg raises, assisted squats using an exercise ball placed in the small of your back and up against a wall... it's the only way I can do squats currently. Avoid any action that involves twisting. Always ice after exercising, and take ibuprofen to keep the swelling down. When exercising, STOP immediately if you experience pain. A little discomfort is OK as you work to strengthen and heal, but pain is telling you to stop.

    FWIW, meniscus tears won't heal themselves. Rarely do they happen in an area where there is blood flow, so once it's torn it's torn. An MRI will be the only way to determine the extent of the damage. If it's still hurting you and this happened in March, I'd definitely want to see an MRI.

    Another thing I'd recommend is getting a second opinion. Did you express how active you are to your doctor? Many times, they are inclined not to operate if the patient isn't really active and can live with a little discomfort. But for me, I was in pain and couldn't do ANYTHING I was used to doing, and I'm still fairly young, so surgery was the only option. I'd check with another doctor just to see what they say. (With the second injury, the first doctor I saw wanted to do surgery but the second didn't... I didn't do the surgery and now I'm almost fully recovered. I was SO GLAD I had that second opinion!!)

    Good luck! You can do it - it will take discipline and motivation (hard to come by when you're injured) but it's better to look into and fix it now than waste your life in pain.
  • ltollagson
    ltollagson Posts: 11
    Oh thank you, thank you, thank you, for taking the time to share that!! That was SO helpful!! Good luck to you too! Here's to hoping we can both get back to doing all of the things we enjoy :):)
  • TGKvr
    TGKvr Posts: 123 Member
    Yes! I'm about to start climbing for the first time in a year and I'm beyond excited, though a little apprehensive as well. :happy:

    All I can say is not to let your injury make you lazy. I did, and I'm paying for it now by not being able to fit into last summer's clothes. ;)

    The wall ball squats were probably the single best thing I did to get my legs back to shape. The ball relieves the pressure on the knee and makes it bearable. Oh another thing you can try if possible: if you have two scales, place one foot on each scale when you're doing the wall ball squats - this will tell you if you're using both legs evenly or if you're favoring. Just a few times of that made me much more aware of using each leg equally. Even the simple hamstring press (rolled up towel under the knee, contract, press, and hold for 10 seconds - 10 sets) did more than I thought it would. All things I did in PT that I keep up with at home... the leg raises and hamstring presses are really easy to do while vegging out watching TV. ;)

    I hope you get to feeling better, please post an update later!
  • ltollagson
    ltollagson Posts: 11
    Oh that is great!! I will post an update later for sure and you do the same :) Have fun climbling and feel free to keep the advice coming if you think of anything else. I really appreciate it!
  • ltollagson
    ltollagson Posts: 11
    I'm so glad you mentioned to not let it make me lazy too! Such a good point and I need to always remember that. I think I've been doing the opposite lately....I think i'm being too daring at times and possibly doing things I shouldn't be. That is what sparked this post, I went to a body sculpting class last night, apprehensive as well. I ended up doing some lunges I probably shouldn't have. But, I'm just so ansty :)
  • christinastokes3
    christinastokes3 Posts: 36 Member
    I definitely feel your pain!! In Sept 2009 I fell off our roof landing directly on my left leg which proceeded to buckle and "pop". After xrays and MRIs we discovered torn ACL< MCL< and Meniscus. Not fun. It healed not to bad because I was going to the gym all the time before and had strong legs. After not exercising as strongly as before it is taking long to heal. In May of 2010 I had the meniscus "cleaned" up but found that did not fix the problem. A full year later in Oct of 2010 I had my ACL replaced. Still nervous to do some activity (as I dont want that kind of pain again), I have just recently picked up exercising again. Once I joined on here I decided it was time to get er done. Since starting the knee is feeling alot better, and it doesn't stop me in my tracks much. I strongly suggest the exercise for the legs whether it be walking or whatever it takes to strengthen the muscles. Good luck!
  • ltollagson
    ltollagson Posts: 11
    Oh no! That sounds terrible!! Thanks for the tip, I really appreciate it! I hope you are able to get back to normal soon :) Sounds like you're on your way!!
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