OT? meniscectomy

[eddief]

at the tender age of 61, over the years i have had each knee scoped one time. the other day i got up from a chair, twisted a bit, and felt a small pop. no pain at the time or right now, but i suspect my miniscus is pooching out again somewhat.

is it somewhat common for we common folk to have more than one scoping on the same knee over a period of years? can more trimming be done? or is it time for a wooden leg carved to fit my cycling shoes?

big bummer is i have a two week tour scheduled for Sept and I am concerned my knee won't hold out. oh and a $6k deductible.

[echelon_john]

Were the other scopes for meniscus?

Depending on the tear you may be fine just scoping/trimming/smoothing it again, or it may need more work. Based on what I know, they may not be able to tell you 100% until they go in and take a look.

If you HAVEN'T had a meniscectomy before, you could probably be fine for your September tour if you can get in and get it taken care of right away. Everybody (and every procedure) is different, but I was downhill skiing (a bit more cautiously than usual) about 5 weeks post meniscus surgery last fall. Riding even sooner.

Good luck either way--the quicker you get it dealt with, the less pain you'll have and the less strength you'll lose.

Best,
John

[eddief]

had the miniscus trimmed. and each time before the scoping, there was difficulty straightening my leg cause the stuff was in the hinge. right now, no pain and leg still goes straight. but i can tell all is not as right as it was last week.

[Ken Robb]

I had both of mine done and the surgeon said if a "big guy" like me (200 lbs. +/-) kept playing tennis on hard courts I would be getting re-trimmed every few years due to wear and tear. Easy spinning on my bike was his prescription for post surgery rehab. I quit playing tennis while I can still walk and ski.

[thwart]

the other day i got up from a chair, twisted a bit, and felt a small popChairs are known to be dangerous. You should be riding your bike.

When cartilage (meniscus) in your knee is older and well used, it doesn't take much to cause a tear. If it's not bothering you like the previous ones did, some surgeons would probably advise you to just watch it and call if it flares up.

However, they don't own as many vacation homes as the ones who operate at the drop of a hat...

[Jack Brunk]

Hurts more and is much harder to rehab than the first. Trust me.

[Kane]

at the tender age of 61, over the years i have had each knee scoped one time. the other day i got up from a chair, twisted a bit, and felt a small pop. no pain at the time or right now, but i suspect my miniscus is pooching out again somewhat.

is it somewhat common for we common folk to have more than one scoping on the same knee over a period of years? can more trimming be done?

Eddie,
Spend some money and see a good PT or sports chiropractor. You are not that messed up and the pop that you felt was probably just a tendon. You don't have pain or swelling even.

Ice your knee for twenty min. at a time, 3-4 times a day. Buy a Body Glove Small Wrap (neopreme knee icing system) from Amazon for $30 and ice your knee for a couple of weeks.

You should work on strength, flexibility & balance. Quit thinking of surgery.
The more things that you cut out, the sooner you need a knee replacement.
Cheers,

Kane

[gordieax]

You certainly can have more than 1 scope per knee for meniscus tears. I've had 2 on 1 knee and 1 on the other. On my first scope Doc said there were 2 tears, 1 I went in for , the other he found was approx. 20 years before. Point: you can bike 2-4 weeks after the scope ( it's even part of post op. PT) and sometimes, you can continue activity, biking, with the tear left alone in there. Give a ride a try before even deciding to have it scoped. Non weight bearing activities might not have pain/discomfort.