Ripped Meniscus questions

Amazingfun

Hi.

I found out recently ,(via MRI), that I've been walking around for over a year with a ripped meniscus disc (ripped in two places and also flipped upside down),as well as some extras- ligament/cartilage damage, etc.
My question is about this type of injury: Is it common for it (the disc) to move around?

I am not asking for medical advice as such so hope this is ok to ask, but I find the varying state of my pain as well as my ability to move around somewhat curious.

One day I might need two canes even to walk, whereas a few days later I seem well able to walk about with no supports at all. Has anyone else had/have this type of injury and experience this, the flux? I imagined once you'd got to the point of having to use serious support you'd just have to keep using them, but no!

I'd love to think I could stay like this (cane free) for months until my operation but I feel anxious it's going to change back to extreme pain/inconvenience soon.


Mod edit, will allow thread to stay open as long as anything deemed my me or the other mods as medical advice will result is red card at least.
Please link to references especially ones from peer reviewed journals.
Rob

Zzippy

Amazingfun wrote: »

Hi.

I found out recently ,(via MRI), that I've been walking around for over a year with a ripped meniscus disc (ripped in two places and also flipped upside down),as well as some extras- ligament/cartilage damage, etc.
My question is about this type of injury: Is it common for it (the disc) to move around?

I am not asking for medical advice as such so hope this is ok to ask, but I find the varying state of my pain as well as my ability to move around somewhat curious.

One day I might need two canes even to walk, whereas a few days later I seem well able to walk about with no supports at all. Has anyone else had/have this type of injury and experience this, the flux? I imagined once you'd got to the point of having to use serious support you'd just have to keep using them, but no!

I'd love to think I could stay like this (cane free) for months until my operation but I feel anxious it's going to change back to extreme pain/inconvenience soon.


Mod edit, will allow thread to stay open as long as anything deemed my me or the other mods as medical advice will result is red card at least.
Please link to references especially ones from peer reviewed journals.
Rob

Have never had a meniscus tear as severe as yours, but have had a couple (have one at the moment that I need to get sorted) and I did find the pain only manifested sometimes, and not others, depending on my movement. As you mention an operation, I presume you're waiting for one. I've had 2 arthroscopies and had perfect results each time - only advice I can give is to do the physio exercises religiously - first time post-op I did everything right and was back to normal including playing sport in a few weeks. Second time I was lazy about it and took a lot longer to get back to full mobility.
Ortho surgeons can do great work with keyhole surgery these days - best of luck!

Amazingfun

Thanks for the reply

I am indeed waiting and will just have to ride the wave of the flux while I do it seems.
I have been cane-free , even brace free, for a good few days now, but today it seems to have shifted somewhat again (I can actually see the disc protruding again, yuck) and I can tell I will most likely be back on at least one cane/brace tomorrow.

Just a really strange injury.

drzhivago

NOT MEDICAL ADVICE FOR AN INDIVIDUAL

I was active in the 80's/90's as a sportsman in school and college. There were no MRI scans then for the average citizen yet many of us had knee injuries where we had pain/swelling/difficulty walking for periods -- Fowler I remember a few med cup soccer matches where we had difficulty walking for days afterwards

I have no doubt that many of us did suffer meniscal injuries but these were not diagnosed accurately at the time because scans were not available

Could these untreated injuries lead to arthritis - possibly some of us will know in the near future

If there are fragments of a meniscus floating in a knee I occasionally see people in ED where they come in and say they cannot move their leg i.e. locked Knee - after a little jiggling they can usually free up but we refer them to orthopaedic surgeons to consider arthroscpy for repair of meniscus and removal of free fragments

Again in 80's rare for sportspeople to have scopes done - now very common - are people being operated on too much -- I don't have an easy answer to that one

If a person has symptoms the answer seems easy, if a person has symptoms which come and go decision to operate harder - if person has minimal symptoms but has scan evidence of damage again decision is difficult as any surgery has potential to cause unwanted problems i.e. infections in joint etc

Best thing See your GP, I know we say this a lot here but they truly need to understand what your problem is, when people see specialist they often forget to give important details because they are focussed on a particular question or outcome - your GP should be able to condense your symptoms and progress for the surgeon as should your physiotherapist