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First stop is a brace and a low activity life style.
Second stop is a quick cortisone shot in a docs office. Had several. Nothing to it.
Third stop is meniscus surgery. Done as an outpatient, or, at worst, an overnight stay. Again, pretty simple stuff.
Person you are dealing with needs to get a set. Really sad when you have to plead or make special arrangements for a person who is afraid of taking care of themselves.
First stop is a brace and a low activity life style.
Second stop is a quick cortisone shot in a docs office. Had several. Nothing to it.
Third stop is meniscus surgery. Done as an outpatient, or, at worst, an overnight stay. Again, pretty simple stuff.
Person you are dealing with needs to get a set. Really sad when you have to plead or make special arrangements for a person who is afraid of taking care of themselves.
First stop is a brace and a low activity life style.
Second stop is a quick cortisone shot in a docs office. Had several. Nothing to it.
Third stop is meniscus surgery. Done as an outpatient, or, at worst, an overnight stay. Again, pretty simple stuff.
Person you are dealing with needs to get a set. Really sad when you have to plead or make special arrangements for a person who is afraid of taking care of themselves.
1. A professional brace might help some and allow you to walk with less pain. I've tried numerous different braces from physical therapists, doctors, Walmart, etc. I had mixed results and I gave up on them.
2. I've had several cortisone shots. They are not a solution to the problem. I remember the first one worked great, the second one not so great. They are temporary and seem to lose their effect after you have had several. The last one I received, the doctor used an ultrasound machine to located the best place for the injection. He injected both cortisone and one of the hyaluronic acid products such as Euflexa or Synvisc.
3. You have to define what you mean by meniscus surgery. A meniscectomy is a surgical procedure in which the meniscus is completely or partially removed. Arthroscopic meniscus repair is an outpatient surgical procedure to repair torn knee cartilage. The torn meniscus is repaired by a variety of minimally invasive techniques and requires postoperative protection to allow healing. Everyone is not a candidate for this procedure. The older you are, the less likely they will attempt this procedure.
I also have an excellent off-loader knee brace especially for osteoarthritis which was sold for a long time at https://www.betterbraces.com - but I think it is now missing from their website - one could do google searches for another similar off-loader knee brace especially for osteoarthritis - it works the best. (I realize this is the meniscus tear thread)
I've read that many, if not most, meniscus tears will heal on their own - and orthopedic surgeons very frequently do unnecessary surgeries for this just to make money.
I had cortisone shots in knee a long time ago - and had Synvisc shots once or twice too a long time ago. They worked for a while.
I also have an excellent off-loader knee brace especially for osteoarthritis which was sold for a long time at https://www.betterbraces.com - but I think it is now missing from their website - one could do google searches for another similar off-loader knee brace especially for osteoarthritis - it works the best. (I realize this is the meniscus tear thread)
I've read that many, if not most, meniscus tears will heal on their own - and orthopedic surgeons very frequently do unnecessary surgeries for this just to make money.
I had cortisone shots in knee a long time ago - and had Synvisc shots once or twice too a long time ago. They worked for a while.
I've never heard that many, if not most, meniscus tears will heal on their own. I did some searching and found this info.
Quote:
Endurance is an important part of sports. For some athletes, playing through a little pain is a badge of honor. In the case of meniscus tears, some people think the injury will heal over time on its own. But the truth is that there are different types of meniscus tears — and some tears won’t heal without treatment.
If your tear is on the outer one-third of the meniscus, it may heal on its own or be repaired surgically. This is because this area has rich blood supply and blood cells can regenerate meniscus tissue — or help it heal after surgical repair.
But if the tear is in the inner two-thirds, which lack blood flow, the tear cannot be repaired and may need to be trimmed or removed surgically.
This came from https://www.pennmedicine.org/updates...d%20surgically. What is not mentioned in this discussion is age. A meniscus tear might heal on its own for an 18 year old, but that same meniscus tear won't heal on a 50, 60 or 70 year old.
I agree that "orthopedic surgeons very frequently do unnecessary surgeries for this just to make money." I was one of those patients. The surgery did nothing. I've found many people who think they are getting their meniscus repaired when all the orthopedic surgeon is doing is removing some of the meniscus. Also be wary of doctors who fix everything with shots. Neither solution has worked for me.
Shots help some people and not others. They help some people at one time but not at another time. They might help in one knee and not the other in the same person. Some doctors don't do surgery and shots are an important part of their ability to treat. There's no reason to be wary of the doctors, just research and understand the condition you have and the treatments they offer. I always always go to orthopedists who don't do surgery before I see a surgeon. Surgeons want to do surgery, so if a shot, PT or other conservatove treatment will help me why would I go straight to a surgeon who 9 times out of 10 will want to do surgery? I'll take the one with the needle...unless I've decided I need surgery.
I fell in 2018, tore my ACL and I have a slight meniscus tear. One doctor said surgery was a must and then referred me to his associate who specializes in ACL tears ( the other dr. mostly does hips and knee replacements) he was so great and told me surgery was up to me and said 3-4 months of physical therapy plus exercises at home would help. It did and I have felt great!
The only slight issue is if completely bend down it hurts slightly to get back up. My knee has not given out since I stopped physical therapy.
I appreciate all the knowledge and personal experience with meniscus tears and surgery in this thread. I feel like a orthopedist/knee surgeon I saw yesterday for persistent knee pain (with no known cause or injury) put me immediately on a conveyor belt to meniscus surgery. It was weird, rushed, he was inattentive, uninterested in anything I had to say. I'll go for the MRI but at 68 years old I expect it will show some meniscus issues even if that's not the source of the pain. The xray showed no arthritis. I won't agree to any surgery just yet though. Yesterday I thought I was going to have a conversation with the doc, instead I felt like when you drive your car into one of those automatic car washes where you stay inside and get the quickie wash job... delivering me to some surgical procedure.
The cortisoid shot was very helpful in the short term though. My knee feels just fine today, after hurting more or less continuously for 8 months, sometimes severely. I know the shot doesn't fix anything, but I can start doing the DIY PT and getting some of my range of motion back after months of stiffness and pain.
I had meniscus surgery In September 2021. Out patient at Huntington Hospital on LI where I live. Surgery was at 10 am and was home by 2 pm. I was up and walking that same day. I chose the surgery because I could not stand the pain and walking with a limp. I did not need physical therapy either. Surgery was 30 minutes and I was put out completely.
I appreciate all the knowledge and personal experience with meniscus tears and surgery in this thread. I feel like a orthopedist/knee surgeon I saw yesterday for persistent knee pain (with no known cause or injury) put me immediately on a conveyor belt to meniscus surgery. It was weird, rushed, he was inattentive, uninterested in anything I had to say. I'll go for the MRI but at 68 years old I expect it will show some meniscus issues even if that's not the source of the pain. The xray showed no arthritis. I won't agree to any surgery just yet though. Yesterday I thought I was going to have a conversation with the doc, instead I felt like when you drive your car into one of those automatic car washes where you stay inside and get the quickie wash job... delivering me to some surgical procedure.
The cortisoid shot was very helpful in the short term though. My knee feels just fine today, after hurting more or less continuously for 8 months, sometimes severely. I know the shot doesn't fix anything, but I can start doing the DIY PT and getting some of my range of motion back after months of stiffness and pain.
I take meloxicam and Flexeril for my knee at night. It helps with the stiffness and joint pain. Meloxicam is an anti-inflammatory and Flexeril is a muscle relaxer. Just started it last week because I was having pain in the right knee where I tore my meniscus and ACL. talk to your Dr. about these. I wake up feeling great.
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