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My doctor is recommending surgery and says it won't heal on its own. It is slowly getting better, but it's been 3 months already and still bothering me and hindering my life.
I absolutely love hiking and would like to still be able to do it until I die. I do not want this to disable me, but I also do not want to have unnecessary surgery. A friend told me she backed out of surgery years ago and took glucosamine and got well and never had any more trouble (although she is no hiker!)
I just don't know what to do. I guess I'm just looking to hear some personal experiences. Doctors are so knife-happy these days, especially if you have great insurance like mine.
The tear will not heal. Years ago I folded mine in half on my right knee. Didn't know it but I have a high pain threshold. Being in the army I had to maintain a fitness level. I kept that up until it finally reached my pain level. The operation was orthoscopic and the recovery was a few weeks. I now have less then 30% of the meniscus in that knee. I still feel some twinges but it is mainly the surrounding tendons. They have to work harder for the lack of that tissue and the looseness of the knee.
The reason it will not heal is there is a lack of blood that goes through that tissue. Only the outer edge of it gets blood.
As for enjoying hiking and other outdoor activity you should be able to resume that once the pain has subsided. In fact it is really good to do that. Just remember to rest it between hard sessions. Do not carry too much extra weight in your backpack. Be careful of footing and avoid sudden shifts in movement. A friend was doing a 4.5 mile ruck march and tore his. I believe he tore it by turning around to see someone behind him leaving feet in place.
So what I want to say is my operation was 10 years ago and I am at near full activity for a 57 year old. I can run short distances (no more than a mile). I can hike and walk for all day but need to rest at least a day to recover if that hike was strenuous. I do have some roaming pains around that knee but I believe that it is just the tendons feeling stress of keeping the knee together. Just keep in mind that I have less then 30% in my knee so I am bone to bone in a good portion of my knee.
I had it... ignored it for a year before I had no choice but to properly take care of it. My knee would literally make a clicking noise every step I took. I was 23 when I had arthroscopic surgery and after about a week it was completely healed.
Hate to throw the age card out there but it sounds like the older you are the more time it may need to heal... or possibly a knee replacement. My surgeon said not to be surprised that one day a knee replacement could potentially be in my future once I hit 50+
Hate to throw the age card out there but it sounds like the older you are the more time it may need to heal... or possibly a knee replacement. My surgeon said not to be surprised that one day a knee replacement could potentially be in my future once I hit 50+
There is no hate involved. It DOES take longer for you to heal as you age.
A few years ago, one of my employees and my father both tore a rotator cuff in one week. Both were 50+. In both cases, the surgeon told them that it would take 2-3x longer to heal and would only recover if they underwent all the physical therapy he prescribed.
Knee replacements generally go very well if the person is active, not very overweight and follows the recommendations for physical therapy.
I have a horizontal tear of the medial meniscus (as per MRI) that gives me a tolerable amount of pain so far though it is very painful to go down stairs. The orthopedic surgeon said surgery is not advised in my case. Thankfully, I have no trace of arthritis. A friend had the surgery and a year later is no better so I guess outcomes just depend on many factors. I have learned to avoid certain movements and note that it is gradually improving - very gradually. Sitting too long makes it so much worse. Physical therapy was the best choice for me as far as treatment.
I've had both knees scoped twice for torn meniscus. Only one was after 50. As others have said the scoping and healing time isn't bad and as long as you have no other issues like arthritis you should be fine. And BTW, you can take all the glucosamine and chondroitin you want and it won't make a difference. They have no benefit to either a tear or artritis.
Re: glucosamine....I'm pretty skeptical of all supplement claims, but my husband has been taking glucosamine for his hands (excessive stiffness when playing guitar, a painful knot on his pinkie) and he says it is helping. He is now having no trouble chording his guitar and he says the pinkie hardly hurts at all. I told him it could be due to the weather, but we've been through several strong weather changes since he started taking it and the effects stayed constant. So I'm going to give it a try for a while. Can't hurt, might help, I guess.
Thanks to all who have answered so far. I ran into my cousin yesterday who said she has had it done 3 times (older folks, do not ever push a box on the floor with your foot!), and she said hers were fine. She said do it, and as soon as possible. I had pretty much made up my mind to do it based on what y'all were saying, and talking to her clinched it. So I'm going to call the doc today and see about when I can get it scheduled.
Don't underestimate the power of placebo in all of this. There is a lot of research out there now showing that knee surgery is not necessarily beneficial, ie physical therapy just as effective in many cases. Here is one of many articles: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/26/he...pagewanted=all
I had it... ignored it for a year before I had no choice but to properly take care of it. My knee would literally make a clicking noise every step I took. I was 23 when I had arthroscopic surgery and after about a week it was completely healed.
Hate to throw the age card out there but it sounds like the older you are the more time it may need to heal... or possibly a knee replacement. My surgeon said not to be surprised that one day a knee replacement could potentially be in my future once I hit 50+
Bh had the clicking noise, too.
When it got louder was time to worry.
His procedure was 15 years ago and he's still good.
I cannot offer any medical advice on your condition. I can only tell my story. I had a nasty case of phlebitis---big and red with a huge swollen vein from my knee down to my ankle. The ER recommended large doses of ibuprofen. That seemed to help for a while. Then is got worse. Another ER visit plus a scan to make sure I did not have clots and I was on crutches. By then I could hear the crunching sound and could not fully extend my leg. A visit to a sports med specialist and a scan confirmed a torn meniscus. Apparently I had bone on bone and the vein was being pinched. He offered little hope that oral glucosamine would help but I did try it for a while...off and on for a couple months. Without scoping he could not tell me what was needed for surgery. He told me "you will know when you need it." I never went back and the knee slowly got better. I was about 50 at the time and am now 68. I have been traveling in the national parks and doing lots of hiking.
I cannot offer any medical advice on your condition. I can only tell my story. I had a nasty case of phlebitis---big and red with a huge swollen vein from my knee down to my ankle. The ER recommended large doses of ibuprofen. That seemed to help for a while. Then is got worse. Another ER visit plus a scan to make sure I did not have clots and I was on crutches. By then I could hear the crunching sound and could not fully extend my leg. A visit to a sports med specialist and a scan confirmed a torn meniscus. Apparently I had bone on bone and the vein was being pinched. He offered little hope that oral glucosamine would help but I did try it for a while...off and on for a couple months. Without scoping he could not tell me what was needed for surgery. He told me "you will know when you need it." I never went back and the knee slowly got better. I was about 50 at the time and am now 68. I have been traveling in the national parks and doing lots of hiking.
Wow impressive.
BH got better, too.
But gained a lot of weight which impacts the knee.
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