Meniscus Tear -- Your Experiences

[Gemini]

Hey Folks..

After a rough summer season of maybe too much tennis and not-so-active fall season but enough to make it hurt, I finally had my doc take a deeper look at my left knee. It had gotten to the point that after playing tennis even as little as an hour it would become so stiff that it was immobile. Also, I'd noticed that I've lost the ability to explode off of my left leg due to weakness in the knee.

The verdict after x-rays and MRIs is that I've got a 2mm lateral meniscus tear. My doc thinks that physical therapy might help me regain the strength in the knee but my concern long term as well. Is this something that can heal on it's own with proper therapy outside of surgery or is this something that will eventually require surgery and PT is just a band-aid for the situation?

I'm just looking for "stories" from others who've been down this road to understand better what to expect and if the end result is surgery.

Also..I did a search on meniscus tears in specific but both threads were related to post-meniscus surgery discussions and I'm looking for more of "what treatments did you try prior to surgery but after you learned of the tear?"

Thanks....

 

[princemidplus]

do you get locking in your knee (ie: your knee gets stuck in one position and you need to force it out of that position - it usually cracks with this)? if you do get locking then you most likely will need surgery to correct this.

if you do not get locking or giving way (your leg collapsing without warning and actually dumping you on the floor) then PT may be an answer instead of surgery.

i needed surgery to correct my medial meniscus tear - arthroscopy (key hole). was walking around same day with some pain and 7 days to walking well. no crutches at all - i was stubborn. back to sport after about 2 months but you can return to sport safely in 6 weeks. normal activities after about a week or so. then 5 weeks of getting the bend full and strength back. and confidence in the knee as after op it felt strange and a bit unstable to me.

 

[mikeler]

I am almost 36 years old and I think I tore my left meniscus about 1.5 years ago. My Dad and brother are doctors, so I described the injury to them and they both thought that is what I did. Never got X-rays though, so I'm not 100% sure.

I limped for a week or two after I had it. After 3 weeks, I tried to play doubles even though I'm a singles player. I still could not move very well, so I took one more week off. I then played a really good singles player and actually did OK. Basically, if a ball was going to cause me a lot of pain, I just let it go. I never ran full out for a ball for the next 6 months or so.

The knee has been sore on and off ever since, but month by month, I'm noticing that the pain is less and less. In fact, some days, I'll notice some soreness in my right knee, but none in my left. I did tear my meniscus in my right knee about 13 years ago (again no X-rays to verify). That injury also took over a year to fully heal.

If you are looking for a quick fix, time is not the answer and you'll have to try some of the other medical remedies out there.

 

[Gemini]

do you get locking in your knee (ie: your knee gets stuck in one position and you need to force it out of that position - it usually cracks with this)? if you do get locking then you most likely will need surgery to correct this.

if you do not get locking or giving way (your leg collapsing without warning and actually dumping you on the floor) then PT may be an answer instead of surgery.

i needed surgery to correct my medial meniscus tear - arthroscopy (key hole). was walking around same day with some pain and 7 days to walking well. no crutches at all - i was stubborn. back to sport after about 2 months but you can return to sport safely in 6 weeks. normal activities after about a week or so. then 5 weeks of getting the bend full and strength back. and confidence in the knee as after op it felt strange and a bit unstable to me.

I do have locking, clicking and popping in the knee. I haven't had a serious collapse (complete failure with me lying on the ground) but I have had moments where it does give out.

The thing about surgery is that I've heard completely mixed reviews on the recovery and performance post-surgery. Some say they came back as good as new. Others say that they never came back to even 85%. Right now, I'm running on 70% and I'd at least like to get to 95% if there's a chance.

Also, I'm just wondering if physical therapy is really just going to be a waste of time and money and I should just go straight to the repair. My hope is that maybe I'll get to start my tennis rehab with some fall ball in 2009 and be completely ready for the 2010 tennis season should things go well in recovery.

 

[mikeler]

I've had not had buckling problems in a few months. Every few matches, there would be one point where I could not run because it buckled. I did not fall or anything, just had to give up the point. It sounds like your tear may be worse than mine.

How did you injure it? I injured mine sliding for a backhand on clay, but it was not maintained properly and my foot did not slide very much and my knee turned instead.

 

[atatu]

I tore mine a few years ago, I saw a doctor who advised me to rest it and see if it would "smooth itself out" which I did. After about a year it pretty much healed, I still get some soreness if I play a lot for several days in a row.

 

[Gemini]

I tore mine a few years ago, I saw a doctor who advised me to rest it and see if it would "smooth itself out" which I did. After about a year it pretty much healed, I still get some soreness if I play a lot for several days in a row.

So you didn't play any tennis or any other activities (running, basketball, etc.) that could aggravate the tear for a year?

I've had not had buckling problems in a few months. Every few matches, there would be one point where I could not run because it buckled. I did not fall or anything, just had to give up the point. It sounds like your tear may be worse than mine.

How did you injure it? I injured mine sliding for a backhand on clay, but it was not maintained properly and my foot did not slide very much and my knee turned instead.

Not quite sure but 3 years ago when I was having a pretty intense hitting session with a friend was the first time my knee ever gave out. I pushed off for a ball and the leg literally collapsed right under me. I saw an ortho-surgeon but all he did was take x-rays and assured me that the bone was fine and he didn't believe there to be any tissue damage.

 

[RoddickAce]

Tore mine 1-2 years ago. After first, not knowing about the tear, I thought it was a simple injury and would be fine after a few days. Then I went to a doctor, and he told me to stay off tennis for 2 weeks and R.I.C.E (rest, ice, compress, elevate). Didn't get better, and after around 1 year of visiting the doctor, booking appointments, etc...I finally got a surgery booked. And then I got the surgery done and had around half a year of post surgery resting and checkups and got back to tennis a few months ago. It doesn't feel as stable and hurts a bit after intense exercise. That's my story. Usually, surgery is the best decision as the tears usually don't heal. And the more you exercise it, the bigger the tear can get, so surgery helps prevent that from happening. Good luck with your meniscus, hope everything goes well.

 

[brad1730]

Meniscus/ACL

I tore my meniscus a long time ago, and then did little to repair it. Over the years I did more and more damage. If it was me, I'd do as much therapy as I could before any surgery, and then I'd have it repaired. Of course, this is just from my experience.

 

[Frank Silbermann]

I am trying to recover from one and I've done a lot of reading.

What I've learned as that there are two kinds of meniscus in each knee (medial and lateral), and many different kinds and sizes of tears and many different places in the meniscus where it can tear. All of those factors help determine the time off and treatment you will need to take for recovery -- if that is even possible.

To sum it up, a tear towards the inside of a meniscus is unlikely to heal on its own, due to the lack of a blood supply. However, a doctor can surgically stabilize the tear (by rounding the edges, etc) so it stops tearing so easily, and you will likely have a very quick recovery. However, the more tissue he has to remove, the more it will accelerate the development of knee arthritis due to the reduced amount of cushioning and lubrication in the knee. Good short-term results, not ideal long-term results.

A small tear near the outer edge may heal without surgery if you do not keep re-injuring it. That's what I'm told I have, and I've been off tennis for four months. I've been doing physical therapy for two months, and though I'm improving slightly week-to-week, the best I can say is that I _think_ that in a few months I'll be able to play tennis again. Since no meniscus is being removed, and since my knee is stable, and since I don't have loose bits getting caught in the machinery, I may escape the danger of future arthritis.

A bigger tear near the outer edge requires surgery (although surgery is less likely to work if the tear is _too_ big). However, because the outer edge is so important, the torn part must be repaired, not trimmed away. This involves a difficult and drawn-out rehabilitation (e.g. six months), and does not always work. If it does work, then you may regain a normal knee and not develop early arthritis. If it cannot be repaired, you may be off of athletics for life, or until they invent a more durable artificial knee.

So if you have a tear near the outer edge of the meniscus, the short term problems will be long and difficult, and the long-term prognosis will either be very good or very bad, depending on whether it will heal with or without surgery.

A tear half-way between the inner and outer edges will probably not heal, with or without surgery, and trimming it will remove quite a lot of tissue. Without surgery you will probably have to give up athletics for life; with surgery you probably will be able to play for another decade or two but you'll have a significantly greater tendency to develop arthritis.

If the doctors does quickly put you "back to normal" by trimming a bit of torn meniscus, it is worth your while to do whatever physical therapy you can do to stabilize your knee, lest you keep tearing it again and again. There is only so much meniscus you can remove before you need a new knee.

 

[atatu]

So you didn't play any tennis or any other activities (running, basketball, etc.) that could aggravate the tear for a year?

No, I meant that it was sore after I played for about a year.

 

[mikeler]

When I injured my right knee 13 years ago, I did it playing basketball. I sat out a year and did nothing but lift weights. Almost exactly a year later, I went out and played basketball again with no problems.

 

[Phil]

Tore my left medial meniscus about a year and a half ago. The tear was not large (no buckling or extreme pain, but a lot of stiffness if I sat for more than 10 minutes), so I opted to not have surgery. As others have mentioned, surgery on this injury may not help all that much and can lead to arthritis down the road. I cut tennis to around once or twice a month for the next six months or so (and only on a soft "Omni" court-no hard courts). I also rode a stationery bicycle almost every day (my doctor said that would be one of the best ways to strengthen the knee).

After 18 mos., I have no stiffness and rarely experience soreness. I can walk forever, but I avoid long uphill hikes. I still don't play on hard courts. I DID play on one a couple months ago and afterwards, the knee didn't feel normal. Not much pain or even soreness, but not pain-free...it gave me a scare, so now I simply avoid hard courts. I can go all out on balls and can play singles on Omni courts.

 

[Gemini]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. You've all provided a lot of good information that's help me in my decision. As I mentioned, my tear is on the lateral side (on the extreme outside) so there is a good chance of it healing properly with surgery but with the concerns of post-surgery arthritis I've opted for physical therapy first.

The downside of PT is that scheduling the sessions is a pain the butt. I really hate to have to take off work to got to PT. I start Jan. 05 for my initial evaluation. Hopefully, I'll be back on the court Fall '09.

 

[SteveI]

Hi,

Just had my right knee done on 12/15/08. I am told large (20%) Medial tear (Lateral was perfect). Had post-op exam on 12/23. Told I can go back to teaching tennis this week. Very little pain. Planning to start playing in 4 weeks. Range of motion about 75 % after 9 days. Very little swelling. So far.. very positive results. Was told knee was in great shape other than the one tear. No other damage, arthritis or other issues. I did not have an injury I can remember.. just wear and tear of my many hours of all sorts of sports. Tennis, hockey B-ball,V Ball... football baseball.. bowling.. soccer.... etc .. etc.. Will keep you updated.

Steve

BTW.. no PT (formal).. just list of exercises to do at home

 

[Gemini]

Hi,

Just had my right knee done on 12/15/08. I am told large (20%) Medial tear (Lateral was perfect). Had post-op exam on 12/23. Told I can go back to teaching tennis this week. Very little pain. Planning to start playing in 4 weeks. Range of motion about 75 % after 9 days. Very little swelling. So far.. very positive results. Was told knee was in great shape other than the one tear. No other damage or other issues. I did not have an injury I can remember.. just wear and tear of my many hours of all sorts of sports. Tennis, hockey B-ball,V Ball... football baseball.. bowling.. soccer.... etc .. etc.. Will keep you updated.

Steve

BTW.. no PT (formal).. just list of exercises to do at home

Steve,

That's awesome news to hear that your surgery went well and recovery is moving along positively. That kind of news definitely inspires me.

 

[SteveI]

Steve,

That's awesome news to hear that your surgery went well and recovery is moving along positively. That kind of news definitely inspires me.

Hi,

I was on the court for about 30 minutes on Monday 12/29/08, just hitting off the wall. Hit some serves taking it quite easy. Went home and applied ice and compression. Range of montion seems to be increasing. Still feeling positive with results to date. Will keep you updated in the next few weeks.

Just wanted to add that I was very fortunate to have been treated by one of the best and well known in my area.. does many pros in area and his office "invented" the partial knee replacement. They did Hulk Hogans knees

Regards,
Steve

 

[mikeler]

Hi,

I was on the court for about 30 minutes on Monday 12/29/08, just hitting off the wall. Hit some serves taking it quite easy. Went home and applied ice and compression. Range of montion seems to be increasing. Still feeling positive with results to date. Will keep you updated in the next few weeks.

That is good news. Glad you are taking it easy to start with, that is always best.

 

[Gemini]

Hi,

I was on the court for about 30 minutes on Monday 12/29/08, just hitting off the wall. Hit some serves taking it quite easy. Went home and applied ice and compression. Range of montion seems to be increasing. Still feeling positive with results to date. Will keep you updated in the next few weeks.

Just wanted to add that I was very fortunate to have been treated by one of the best and well known in my area.. does many pros in area and his office "invented" the partial knee replacement. They did Hulk Hogans knees

Regards,
Steve

Steve,

Once again...that's good news. I, personally, start PT today in an effort to avoid surgery. Wish me luck.

 

[Gemini]

I am almost 36 years old and I think I tore my left meniscus about 1.5 years ago. My Dad and brother are doctors, so I described the injury to them and they both thought that is what I did. Never got X-rays though, so I'm not 100% sure.

I limped for a week or two after I had it. After 3 weeks, I tried to play doubles even though I'm a singles player. I still could not move very well, so I took one more week off. I then played a really good singles player and actually did OK. Basically, if a ball was going to cause me a lot of pain, I just let it go. I never ran full out for a ball for the next 6 months or so.

The knee has been sore on and off ever since, but month by month, I'm noticing that the pain is less and less. In fact, some days, I'll notice some soreness in my right knee, but none in my left. I did tear my meniscus in my right knee about 13 years ago (again no X-rays to verify). That injury also took over a year to fully heal.

If you are looking for a quick fix, time is not the answer and you'll have to try some of the other medical remedies out there.

Hi Mikeler,

I really just looking for a fix in general. I've pretty much decided that 2009 is lost in terms of tennis so time is not really an issue. I just want my knee(s) to be a right as possible before I stop back out on the court to give 100%. Like you, I'm almost 35 so this injury was just an eventuality after 27 years of playing tennis (along with a host of other impact sports). To be honest, the light bulb just went on that if I'm going to remain competitive in singles then my tennis will have to be on softer surfaces (clay and grass).

 

[mikeler]

I started playing on clay quite a bit about 2.5 years ago. After the knee injury, I only play on hard courts if I get rained out at my club or if it is a holiday and the club is closed. In the winter months here in Florida where it hardly rains, I can go several months without ever playing on a hard court. It makes a huge difference for both my knees.

 

[JohnTN]

I am 62 years old, lean and in pretty good shape. Play singles once or twice a week on soft courts in summer and hard in winter.

I tore my left medial menicus in early August 2008 trying to push too much weight on a leg press machine. No "pop" or pain, just a feeling that something gave a little bit. Next day the knee was sore but improved over next couple of days. From Aug-Nov it would be a little sore after playing 1.5 hours, but iced and would feel normal after a day or two.

But over Thanksgiving weekend, I overworked it being on my feet two days doing volunteer work and it became almost unbearable to walk. Took three days ice and rest to be able to walk with little limp.

Had MRI which showed "two small tears on outer horn and one radial tear".

Scheduled arthroscopic surgery for Jan 7, 2009 to remove damage area of meniscus. Over the three weeks between the MRI and surgery the kneee got to feeling completely normal, but I didn't do anything strenuous. Got a second opinion from another radiologist who confirmed the tears and said it was a classic case for scoping.

Had surgery 8 a.m., Jan. 7 under general anethesia, home by 11 a.m. Three small incisions taking one stitch each. No pain, spent most of day in recliner with leg elevated. Used crutches in the afternoon when needed to move around.

Jan. 8, still no pain, used crutches to "crutch walk" putting left foot down for balance but very little weight on it.

Jan. 9, put the crutches down and shuffled around the house. Could only bend the knee about 30 degrees because it was swollen and stretched tight when bending beyond that. Still no pain. Could put full weight on left leg. Only pain came from turning or torquing the knee accidently. Went out to dinner. Time at home still spent mostly in recliner.

Jan. 10, have more flexibility, about 70 degrees. Was able to just barely put my sock on by myself. Moving around house with no pain and only slight limp.

Will keep updated. No PT scheduled, have followup appointment with doc on Jan 21.

I had a friend (65 years old) who had similar surgery a year ago and he hit tennis balls without much running after two weeks. Back near full speed in a month and still going strong.

John

 

[princemidplus]

^^^ to JohnTN

the doc will want to see you do a full squat on 21st Jan so make sure you aim to try to accomplish that before hand. at least, he should ask you to do that amongst other things.

most people do not require PT after arthroscopic surgery if they are active and keen to return to activity. it is the lazy/scared people who are unable to push themselves that need a PT to push them to recover. i come across both types regularly and after some pushing and explaining they all pretty much end up fully recovered as long as the op was a success and there is nothing else wrong (I am a PT myself)

I had arthroscopies on both my knees together in 2005 (granted I was only 22 then) but I was back in sport after a month. not 100% confident but playing probably 80-90%. my diagnosis was torn medial meniscus right knee and loads of ligament damage and cartilage in left knee but no full tears thankfully.

good luck and ask if you need to know anything.

 

[drak]

Have had 3 relativery mild medial meniscus tears that I had surgery on the past 13 years, am now 53, last was 1.5 years ago. Was fully recovered and playing hard in 4-5 weeks after all of them. Recovery for me was a breez and pretty much painless, I had totator cuff shoulder surgery 4 weeks ago and even though its goin well it is night and day different from a meniscus tear, incredibly harder and longer to recover from X 10. Everyone is different, but if its a midest cartilage tear and it bothers you, find a good doc and most folks recover very well.

 

[Gemini]

Just an update. I'm two sessions into PT and things are okay, but only okay. Everything thing we've done in terms of strengthening the supporting muscles has been VERY lightweight. I'm sure it will become more difficult but so far I haven't really seen any benefit. I know two weeks is too early to know anything but sometimes I can sense the outcome of certain situations. I've still got many more weeks of therapy so I'm trying to stay hopeful that I'll start to notice a positive change

 

[princemidplus]

^^^ what type of exercises are you doing and how many reps? the main thing with the exercises is to strengthen the quads, stretch the hamstrings (if tight) but to do it without inducing pain.

 

[Gemini]

^^So far, therapy has been:

Heel Slides - Me lying on my back and bending my knee while sliding my heel towards my butt, 3 sets of 10.

Ball Squeezes - With a ball in between my knees, press knees together for 5 seconds and release, 3 sets of 10.

Straight-Leg Heel Raises (Lying on my back, side and stomach) - Extend my leg as straight as possible without causing pain or hyper-extending it. Lift to about 45 degrees from horizontal. 3 sets of 10 using a 2-lb ankle weight.

In the last session, we added calf stretches (3 sets at 30 seconds each), an 8-minute bike ride of light intensity, and 10 minutes of ice on the knee to close the session. We also start each session with ultrasound.

 

[princemidplus]

^^ that sounds like exercises for post surgery - did you have surgery on your knee? I thought you were waiting to try PT first before having surgery. the ice also makes it sound like you had an op.

I would have thought you'd be doing more intensive exercises - not too intense but more so than the above exercises - if you did not have an op.

 

[Gemini]

^^ that sounds like exercises for post surgery - did you have surgery on your knee? I thought you were waiting to try PT first before having surgery. the ice also makes it sound like you had an op.

I would have thought you'd be doing more intensive exercises - not too intense but more so than the above exercises - if you did not have an op.

Nope. All of this is pre-surgery. No knife yet.

 

[princemidplus]

just sounds a bit odd that you doing all the easy stuff that is normally done post op. unless you have a bad tear (which would then be surgery without doubt) or are in a lot of pain (a lot!) then the above exercises seem a bit pointless. this is because you are walking around on your leg and not using crutches. this walking would place more strain on your leg (even more going up and down stairs) than some of the exercises you have described above.

i would definiately ask the PT why you are not doing more intensive exercises. are you able to use a bike/stationary bike? are you able to swim? are there some exercises to do in the pool? squat exercises for quadriceps muscles? things like that at least. hard for me to give specific exercises without seeing you myself but I would definiately think you should be doing more if you are looking at avoiding surgery. your current exercises seem aimed at pain control rather than strengthening your knee and sorting the problem

 

[princemidplus]

does your knee swell up or get really hot after the current exercises?

just wondering why you are icing it after every session if it isn't reacting to the exercises. if it is reacting to the exercises then maybe the PT is right in doing the current exercises.

 

[SteveI]

^^ that sounds like exercises for post surgery - did you have surgery on your knee? I thought you were waiting to try PT first before having surgery. the ice also makes it sound like you had an op.

I would have thought you'd be doing more intensive exercises - not too intense but more so than the above exercises - if you did not have an op.

Gem and Prince MP,

Those are pretty much the type of exercises I am doing for my post surgery work. I did not see a PT before my surgery so I can't really comment on that.

My recovery seems to going fine. I have not really had the chance to test it on the court much and walking running outside is not really advised with the snow and ice. Bikes and threadmills do not really tell you as much as running on the court and trying to stop/start .. change direction etc. I will be doing some teaching over the next few weeks and will report back then. I am not getting much pain doing reg things.. stairs.. walking driving. Other than the two very small scars (I have bigger ones made by me).. the knee looks great and feels much better than before the procedure. All and all I am quite impressed with the results to date.

Steve

 

[Gemini]

does your knee swell up or get really hot after the current exercises?

just wondering why you are icing it after every session if it isn't reacting to the exercises. if it is reacting to the exercises then maybe the PT is right in doing the current exercises.

There's no noticeable (visible) swelling. The knee is slightly warm but nothing significant.

 

[princemidplus]

if it was me doing the physio treatment I would have you doing harder exercises as long as they are not too painful - the aim is to reduce pain, increase strength and get back to full movement and control in the knee.

question your physio as to ehy the exercises are so easy. maybe your physio is not used to treating pre-op or thinks it is worse than it is? all the best. feel free to ask questions.

 

[princemidplus]

if it was me doing the physio treatment I would have you doing harder exercises as long as they are not too painful - the aim is to reduce pain, increase strength and get back to full movement and control in the knee.

question your physio as to why the exercises are so easy. maybe your physio is not used to treating pre-op or thinks it is worse than it is? all the best. feel free to ask questions.

 

[Gemini]

Gem and Prince MP,

Those are pretty much the type of exercises I am doing for my post surgery work. I did not see a PT before my surgery so I can't really comment on that.

My recovery seems to going fine. I have not really had the chance to test it on the court much and walking running outside is not really advised with the snow and ice. Bikes and threadmills do not really tell you as much as running on the court and trying to stop/start .. change direction etc. I will be doing some teaching over the next few weeks and will report back then. I am not getting much pain doing reg things.. stairs.. walking driving. Other than the two very small scars (I have bigger ones made by me).. the knee looks great and feels much better than before the procedure. All and all I am quite impressed with the results to date.

Steve

Steve,

That's definitely good news. Sounds like things are really working in your favor as far as recovery goes.

Princemidplus,

I did talk with my PT about the exercises and she noted that both in the beginning pre-surgery and post-surgery exercises will be very similar but as progress there will be a variance. Because I didn't have surgery, I can progress at a much faster pace in terms of strengthening exercises than someone that has had surgery. We'll see how it goes in the coming weeks.

 

[SteveI]

Steve,

That's definitely good news. Sounds like things are really working in your favor as far as recovery goes.

Princemidplus,

I did talk with my PT about the exercises and she noted that both in the beginning pre-surgery and post-surgery exercises will be very similar but as progress there will be a variance. Because I didn't have surgery, I can progress at a much faster pace in terms of strengthening exercises than someone that has had surgery. We'll see how it goes in the coming weeks.

Gem,

Held up well during and after my 2 hour fast paced teaching session. My experience so far seems to be pretty much like drak's. I am moving up the pace this week and will be back to post.

Good luck...
Steve

 

[princemidplus]

Gem,

Good news that you should be progressing faster. keep your physio thinking so that they don't settle into a nice routine that they use on all meniscal injuries. it is good to follow a set sort of program but you are an individual that would need the exercises specific to you and tennis as well as the normal ones. make sure tennis specific exercises are included. never be afraid to question what you are doing and get an answer that satisfies you.

 

[JohnTN]

Update on left medial meniscus surgery on Jan. 7, 2009.

As reported in earlier post, have had essentially no pain. Two weeks after surgery, can easily bend the knee 120 degrees before start feeling some pulling above the knee cap and a little pain starting below the kneecap. Have been walking with no limp for about 4-5 days. Can go up stairs easily, do have a little pain coming down the stairs when stepping down with right foot as the left knee bends up behind me.

Had followup with doctor today. He said 120 bending was excellent, he always hopes for at least 90 degree at two weeks post op. Says I should continue to improve for up to 10-12 weeks. He checked his post surgery notes and said 20-25% of the medial meniscus was excised in the surgery.

Doc said I could do anything that felt comfortable up to the point of pain, then stop, don't push through pain.

Middle of next week will be three weeks post op and I plan to try a little light hitting then.

So far, easier than I expected, but the real test will be playing tennis on a hard court.

John

 

[SteveI]

Update on left medial meniscus surgery on Jan. 7, 2009.

As reported in earlier post, have had essentially no pain. Two weeks after surgery, can easily bend the knee 120 degrees before start feeling some pulling above the knee cap and a little pain starting below the kneecap. Have been walking with no limp for about 4-5 days. Can go up stairs easily, do have a little pain coming down the stairs when stepping down with right foot as the left knee bends up behind me.

Had followup with doctor today. He said 120 bending was excellent, he always hopes for at least 90 degree at two weeks post op. Says I should continue to improve for up to 10-12 weeks. He checked his post surgery notes and said 20-25% of the medial meniscus was excised in the surgery.

Doc said I could do anything that felt comfortable up to the point of pain, then stop, don't push through pain.

Middle of next week will be three weeks post op and I plan to try a little light hitting then.

So far, easier than I expected, but the real test will be playing tennis on a hard court.

John

John,

Sounds great... pretty much my story. Had mine done mid dec. Maybe we should meet March 1st for a match... see who has the better doctor... I have not seen the hard courts yet either. Just some light teaching on clay.

Regards and good luck.
Steve

 

[Gemini]

John,

Sounds great... pretty much my story. Had mine done mid dec. Maybe we should meet March 1st for a match... see who has the better doctor... I have not seen the hard courts yet either. Just some light teaching on clay.

Regards and good luck.
Steve

Update on left medial meniscus surgery on Jan. 7, 2009.

As reported in earlier post, have had essentially no pain. Two weeks after surgery, can easily bend the knee 120 degrees before start feeling some pulling above the knee cap and a little pain starting below the kneecap. Have been walking with no limp for about 4-5 days. Can go up stairs easily, do have a little pain coming down the stairs when stepping down with right foot as the left knee bends up behind me.

Had followup with doctor today. He said 120 bending was excellent, he always hopes for at least 90 degree at two weeks post op. Says I should continue to improve for up to 10-12 weeks. He checked his post surgery notes and said 20-25% of the medial meniscus was excised in the surgery.

Doc said I could do anything that felt comfortable up to the point of pain, then stop, don't push through pain.

Middle of next week will be three weeks post op and I plan to try a little light hitting then.

So far, easier than I expected, but the real test will be playing tennis on a hard court.

John

Wow! You-guys are making me jealous. It's great that your recovery is going so well.

 

[Gemini]

Just an update on my situation. I'm 5 weeks into PT (would've been 6 but I was out of town for work one week) and my therapist thinks that in about 3-4 more sessions I'll be ready to start testing out the knee on court. So..with 28 days (5 of those in-office) of exercising for strength/flexibility/stability, I can honestly say that I've gained slightly in the stability area concerning my knee. My flexibility is slightly better as well though there wasn't much of an issue there to begin with. I think strength will come as I get back into the gym to work my legs.

My biggest disappoint is that with the progress I've made I'm still having pain in the knee. It's not nearly as pronounced as it had been but it's still there and no amount of rest seems to be helping it.

I'm going to push it a bit and play a tourney (doubles) in late Spring after some serious preventive preparation regarding the safety of my knee. That'll be the test as to whether to scratch the entire Summer & Fall seasons and look towards

 

[dozu]

my experience

the tear is a *****, isn't it.

I probably torn mine in March of 2008. No locking, but just a lot of pain when bent and bearing load. Saw a specialist who sent me to X-ray and MRI, but neither could confirm a team.

So I, like many of you, started to see what other peoples' experiences are like, and tried to figure out what to do.

Meanwhile, I keep playing. Wasn't sure if the knew was getting better ever so slowly, or the body was getting better with using an injured knee.. but I was able to play at about 70-85%, depending on how the knee was acting. You can imagine it's a frustrating experience sometimes. Footwork is everything.. couldn't hit winners that I used to hit before the injury... people I used to blow away, I had to try really hard to beat, etc.

since about 2 months ago, I started to feel some clicking in the knee, but pain is getting less..... it's almost as if the tear is finally healing and the torn piece is getting smoothed out.

These days, it's still improving. Now I can basically bend down without much pain. Hopefully, after almost 1.5 years, this thing will finally heal completely.

One thing I think is helpful, is to wear shoes with good cushion, plus a pair of gel inserts... this would definitely deaden the impact to the knee. Playing on clay may help... but in my particular case, I chose to stick with playing on hard, because it suits my game better, where I can still hit penetrating shots, and I let my opponents do most of the running.

By the way, the healing time is similar to a wrist injury I had a few years ago. It had an MRI done but the tear couldn't be confirmed either. Had a key hole surgery scheduled, but decided to called it off at the last minute. Was almost giving up hope on the wrist as it seemed taking forever to heal (if at all)... started to play with my left hand (and what a load of fun that was!).... gradually, the pain got less and less, and I also had to experiment with different rackets/strings etc to put the least possible impact on the wrist. Finally, after 2 years (!), it healed!

These soft tissue injuries do take a looooong time to heal... so I'd say you really need to get opinions from GOOD specialists, plus some common sense on your own part, plus a bit of luck sometimes, to come out with a good result.

These decisions are tough.... I usually set some artificial deadlines for myself... I'd say something like 'if this thing doesn't improve for another 3 months, I will do something (fill in the blank) about it'.... This would give yourself some psychological support and cope with the frustration.

good luck!

 

[10sfreak]

I just had a partial menisectomy yesterday morning on my right knee. Still haven't really had an any pain, but my quad is getting sore as hell. I can put partial weight on that leg, but I don't know how long 'till I'm walking around again...

 

[mikeler]

I hurt my elbow overhitting a serve last November and it is still bothering me. I'm resigned to the fact that some injuries take years to heal.

 

[Cindysphinx]

I just had a partial menisectomy yesterday morning on my right knee. Still haven't really had an any pain, but my quad is getting sore as hell. I can put partial weight on that leg, but I don't know how long 'till I'm walking around again...

Oh, bummer.

How much of the meniscus did they remove?

If it is any consolation, I recovered well from a partial menisectomy in 2005. It took a very long time to get total quad strength back, but it did come back. It came back in its own sweet time, I guess. I am very, very glad I had the surgery, and I wish I hadn't delayed as much as I did (six months).