Anyone have knee surgery for meniscus?

[Vern142]

Had a torn meniscus from a fall back in 2022. ST Patricks Day! Don't ask.
Got a cortisone shot then. Was good for the last 3 years. Really started to bother me and got another shot. Only lasted a couple weeks and I'm back in considerable pain.
Saw the guy today. A little more arthritis has snuck in. I'm 70 in May.
Recommends the laparoscopic meniscus surgery. Says I'll be in rough shape for 2 to 4 weeks.
Hate the pain. Hate to take meds.
Anyone have it and have an opinion?
Figure I'm a little ways out from replacement.

Guys good. Did my wife's hip and it came out great for her. Guess I trust him as much as anyone.
Really never had surgery before and kind of apprehensive.

 

[WAYNO]

I've had quite a few arthroscopic meniscus repairs. The results are great for awhile, but the more a doctor whacks away at cartilage, the less cartilage remains. And now I've had one complete replacement and another replacement scheduled.

I've also had multiple cortisone injections throughout the joints in my body. Knee injections were not effective for me.

Good luck with all of this.



.

 

[Vern142]

Guess I;m asking if the surgery helped or made it worse?

 

[Yaworski]

I tore a meniscus about twenty years ago. It would click and I'd feel it jam up. After a year I went to a surgeon who arthroscopically trimmed the torn piece. No more clicking and I would walk easily. However, I couldn't run anymore so I had to give up reffing bassetball. I should say that I could run but I wouldn't be able to walk the next day.

I walked and hiked with no problems until last year. I was told that I'd need new knees in about 20 years and it looks like the guy was right.

 

[xTopGun]

it's my understanding that a person should not have too many cortisone shots in the same area due to tissue burn. So, you'll probably have to "bite the bullet" and do the surgery. My older brother (78) just had one done back late fall and was back on the golf course in 8 weeks with no complaints ..... good luck

 

[WAYNO]

Guess I;m asking if the surgery helped or made it worse?

per my first reply...

Yes, in every case it made it better, up until I broke my cartilage again. The thinner the cartilage became, the more I was prone to breaking it again, until there was none left. I was very active and had a very active job. Time takes a toll. Had I had the meniscus repairs after I was retired, and more sedentary, the repairs might have lasted far longer.

 

[KingSnake]

I had torn meniscus repair surgery over ten years ago. Was fine for a few years till both knees started hurting worse. Shots didn’t help. Had total knee replacement on both knees last year (6 months apart). Wish I would’ve done it sooner.

 

[Dan in MI]

I had mine done a couple years ago. No complaints. My tear had a flap in it. If that flap doubled back in itself I was on the ground and immobile until it flipped back, so yeah it worked for me.

 

[Kings6]

Had it done and worked great at getting me through until I had the replacement done.

 

[coach]

Your situation with meniscus sounds similar to mine. The last couple years it’s been doing well but about 3 weeks ago it started acting up again. It mostly bothers me at night so having your sleep disrupted can wear on you. The last time I saw the orthopedic doctor he wasn’t recommending surgery yet. I’m hitting it with prescription strength aleve and ice which helps. I was planning to keep it up awhile before visiting the doc again.
If surgery is recommended I wouldn’t put it off. I had my chest cracked open and while I don’t recommend it, anybody can manage the pain especially if drugs can be involved. They wouldn’t let me medicate.

 

[txramfan]

I tore the anterior and posterior horn of the lateral (?) meniscus in my left knee in 2013 and didn't have surgery. Orthopedic told me I wouldn't cause damage to the joint by avoiding surgery. His advice was don't run and don't squat lift heavy items. PT taught me a way to lift my knee cap when I irritated the joint. Use to do it weekly, then monthly and now its been so long I don't remember.
It did take me about a year to remember certain movements that cause pain.

 

[mirglip]

I had a knee injury 22 years ago and the doctor told me I had a torn meniscus and arthoscopic surgery was my best option.
I asked several friends who had previous knee injuries and most of them advised against it. I didn't get the surgery and after a few weeks it got better. It still gives me trouble once in a while, but I still take 5 mile hikes and I'm 70.
Since then others have told me that they had the surgery and it got better after a few weeks, still others told me they did not get the surgery and it got better after a few weeks.

 

[XUSNORDIE]

The injections just put off the inevitable....I have had countless injections of many kinds in my knees and various sections of spine and sacrum. Surgery was the only thing that "sort of" worked.

By the time I had my rt knee replacement there was no meniscus left...ground to nothing from putting off replacement. I had a "repair" on it that didn't do squatt. The left knee had arthroscopic "repair" also but i'm pretty much bone on bone there.....because I kept putting off surgery to be a hero at work....never wanted to miss a moment of action.....the last four years have been surgery after surgery because I was stubborn.....paying for it now.

The nerve damage to my right knee is so severe it won't be regained. The replacement straightened by leg and my gait improved....put the nerve irritation and restless leg syndrome sucks.

My advice is if you trust the surgeon listen to them and do what they say. When I'm 70 I will probably be in a wheelchair because of my stubborn ways.....if I'm around. Take care of what you can when you can...... I started fixing everything late....and then RCC cancer popped up....more surgery aside from what I created. Now have to deal with it all....my fault.

 

[SamV]

I had a meniscus tear about 25 years ago. The surgeon first recommended shaving the sharp edges of the tear. I was concerned about reducing the amount of tissue and needing a knee replacement sooner because of the repair. I was about 40 years old at the time. The doctor agreed that it would probably advance the time for replacement. He suggested physical therapy first and if that did not improve the situation then I should do the repair. I had good success with physical therapy and have not needed surgery yet. I have had a couple of smaller tears and a bit of arthritis is starting to flare up. I still do various PT exercises for management here and there. There are things that I try to limit or avoid. I can squat ok but it is not something to do repetitiously or with weights. Sharp pivots are a no go, so no more sports requiring it. I am generally good for long walks or hiking. Long uphill is fine, but long downhill on an uneven surface can be brutal.

I guess that I didn’t really answer your question. I don’t think that I would hesitate to have the repair if I were in your situation. It sounds like you have done the other alternatives already. PT before surgery would probably be a good idea just to help you build strength and range of motion beforehand.

 

[gunzo]

Had medial meniscus repair along with some fragment removal in 2005 from an injury I had in the late 70's. Wanted to kick my own but really hard for putting it off as it helped me so much. Of course the surgical procedure improved a ton in those years. Wore an inflatable leg splint that had ice water circulating through it & that was a big help. Yes, it was a rough few weeks afterward & I also don't like pain pills so they were used sparingly. Yeah, a few weeks after the surgery wasn't fun, but the reward was grand.
Hint, my brother has had both knees replaced & he saved his pain pills for physical therapy days.

 

[WV338]

My first torn meniscus was about twenty years ago. They did arthroscopic surgery to repair it but twenty years later with osteoarthritis the meniscus was shredded so a full knee replacement was needed. I had it done and was playing golf again in five weeks.

 

[maduecehb]

Had a torn meniscus from a fall back in 2022. ST Patricks Day! Don't ask.
Got a cortisone shot then. Was good for the last 3 years. Really started to bother me and got another shot. Only lasted a couple weeks and I'm back in considerable pain.
Saw the guy today. A little more arthritis has snuck in. I'm 70 in May.
Recommends the laparoscopic meniscus surgery. Says I'll be in rough shape for 2 to 4 weeks.
Hate the pain. Hate to take meds.
Anyone have it and have an opinion?
Figure I'm a little ways out from replacement.

Guys good. Did my wife's hip and it came out great for her. Guess I trust him as much as anyone.
Really never had surgery before and kind of apprehensive.

Great information from all. The options have all been put forward. Total knee replacement takes an hour to an hour and a half. The physical therapy starts a few hours after surgery, they will have you walking the same day! The fun comes next for a few weeks YMMV. You will ask yourself why you waited so long to get the new knee??

 

[thinckley]

My son suffered a complete ACL tear and just had it repaired laparoscopically last Thursday. While the doc was in there he repaired a tear to his meniscus. Obviously, the recovery time for an ACL is much longer, but one thing that has helped him tremendously with the pain is this:

https://supplycoldtherapy.com/colle...yqEWx11smYvEjU9P3GxxjhhsUcRiF8wUaArqKEALw_wcB

Through the provider, they were actually cheaper than list price, which never seems to happen, but we will pick up a couple of the other attachments for the various aches and pains aging and bad decisions bring us.

 

[Dialigike]

I had bilateral meniscus repairs done 25 years ago. The knees still function, but since my patella is not in good shape, running is off the table.