[Bob Dillon]

Who here has had arthroscopy of the knee joint? I may or may not have a meniscal tear sutured, depending on where the tear is, red zone or white zone.

Any advice or other post-op knowledge to offer?

Thanks.

[tom s]

Bob,my wife had hers done.The most important deal is the therapy.Dont over due and for sure dont stop before your made to.You will heal about 10% a month,in 4-5 month you will feel like you are fine.That is when most relapse happen.I had a shoulder done,the one thing we were both told,stay of of ladders and dont wear fipflops.Falls are not good for knees or shoulders.They usually do a nerve block and so little pain the first -second day.Then it wears off.If your dedicated you will do fine.Good luck with your recovery.Tom

[Tfisher15]

I had it done many years ago. Rehab therapy is key. I did what they recommended and have absolutely no problems today.

[NeighborsComplaint]

Had medial meniscus repairs on both knees. Of course did them one at a time about 6 months apart. I also had a cyst on the tip of the tibia which had created a soft spot resulting in additional discomfort and friction in the knee joint,. My orthopedic surgeon drilled micro-holes through the softened bone into the bone marrow with the intent of promoting normal bone growth and strengthening,

I had no issues whatsoever, Just following instruction regarding when you are to bear weight and when you are able to walk unassisted. I just used a cane until weight bearing was no longer painful. I didn't do any physical therapy other than walking. It was actually pretty uneventful.

[Old Man Taylor]

My meniscus was torn so bad that I don't believe it was attached. He also had to clean out some arthritis complications. The first issue was that it took me quite a few days to recover from the anesthetic. I was on crutches for a few days, and when able I went to physical therapy. I did that because I knew I would not be good at doing the exercises they prescribed. All went well.

[Half-Inch Stud]

Eat more raw garlic

Epsom salts in you luxury baths, or soak a rag with epsom and tie it around your knee.

No more calcium "supplements" when you are dosing with magnesium.

[tom s]

Had a friend that had his knee scoped,he did not do well doing the therapy,he had to have it replaced the year after,the year after that he had the other replaced.He has said more than once he wished he had done the therapy better.Tom

[Dennis H.]

Funny you would ask, my wife who is 63, just had the surgery yesterday, torn meniscus, and some arthritis. Had an MRI to confirm, and was in and out of out patient surgery in 2 hrs. They put her under, and she had no ill effects. So far doing well, ready to ditch the crutches. Dr told her that she can put as much weight on it as she can tolerate, just keep it elevated often and use cold compresses. I had the surgery about 20 years ago, it went so well that I can't even remember now which knee it was.

[Jerry H.]

Timely post. I'm sitting here now with a knee brace on in my recliner with my knee elevated. I go for an MRI on Monday to see what direction we are going to take. I'm in so much pain when I put weight on it I can't hardly stand to walk, but I have to. Thing is, I have no idea what caused this problem. It just started one day!

[ponchjoe]

As with any surgery, recovery depends on age and what kind of shape and body type. I tore my miniscus when I was 38 waterskiing. I dealt with it hurting off and on for a year and half then one night I turned to go to second and heard a twig snap in my knee. Shortly after that it would pop up and get caught. One night it hung up so bad it I couldn't straighten my leg for a half hour or so, an dthat hurt like hell. I had the Surgey and 6-8 weeks later after rehab all was good. I'm 14 yrs down the road and still playing ball with no ill effects.
Follow the rehab schedule and it is no big deal.

[Formulabruce]

Originally Posted by Half-Inch Stud

Eat more raw garlic

Epsom salts in you luxury baths, or soak a rag with epsom and tie it around your knee.

No more calcium "supplements" when you are dosing with magnesium.

Great Advice and I have used it on my knee. Swelling after can be an issue as well.
Be careful

[tom s]

When my wife had it her DR prescribed a ice water unit that was kind of like a mini A/C system that pumped ice water around here knee.I got the same deal when my shoulder was done.It was from Team McKenna.Just ad water and turn it on.Great for pain control.Tom

[NeighborsComplaint]

Originally Posted by ponchjoe

As with any surgery, recovery depends on age and what kind of shape and body type. I tore my miniscus when I was 38 waterskiing. I dealt with it hurting off and on for a year and half then one night I turned to go to second and heard a twig snap in my knee. Shortly after that it would pop up and get caught. One night it hung up so bad it I couldn't straighten my leg for a half hour or so, an dthat hurt like hell. I had the Surgey and 6-8 weeks later after rehab all was good. I'm 14 yrs down the road and still playing ball with no ill effects.
Follow the rehab schedule and it is no big deal.

Exactly how my first one went but damage came from playing football with my GF's kid. He was a hot headed little sh!t who thought every sport was a contest to be won. Took a shot to the knees and felt a pop. I was on one knee and couldn't get back up. Went a year limping with it locking up and not being able to bend it.

Someone mentioned the anesthesia. It took months to get my strength back after the first surgery. With the second one, I wasn't physically weak but just very lethargic for a long time.

[Cliff R]

I had mine repaired about 6 years ago, it was torn about 75 percent. They went in and cleaned things up, recovery was quick, back to work in a few days. It was good for a couple of years then I had a full knee replacement last December. Recovery there was a little longer but wished I would have just had the knee replaced the first time. My wife went thru the same process, she had two scoped done on her knee and it only bought here about 5 years total then had to have it replaced. She took much longer to recover from the full replacement but doing fine now.

The full replacement is pretty intrusive and painful for a couple of days. I don't do pain meds well so just dealt with it and hit the therapy hard which made recovery much quicker. My doctor said I was the poster child for knee replacement, up and walking immediately, back to work in a week, and running all over the place in a month.......Cliff

[njsteve]

I had two knees with orn miniscuses at different times. I had one knee scoped and the other one not touched. They both healed the same. Make sure you get rehab on the knee. Don't just sit around or it will take forever to get back to 100%. Normally it takes 6 weeks to get back to 100% Walking down stairs seems to be the most challenging thing.

The funny part: After I got out of surgery, my wife was there and smiling ear to ear. The doctor came by and she asked him if I could get an extended prescription for the morphine that they gave me. She said that I had never been more talkative in our entire marriage than when I came out of surgery under the influence of morphine. To this day, I have no idea what I said to her and she won't tell me. :-)

[The Boss]

I had the inner & outer miniscus done on my right knee in April of 2015. I walked out of the hospital that afternoon, never used crutches and at this point have no adverse effects. It did take the better part of a year before I could kneel on it again.

[Will]

Age, physical fitness level, genetics, and commitment to the rehab process are all key.

I'm turning 50 in a couple months. I've generally been healthy and athletic for most of my life. I've had three ACL replacements over the years along with some associated meniscus damage repair. Right knee was done first when I was in my 20s. Recovery was fast and everything was fine up until 4 years ago when I tore the ACL and damaged meniscus in my left knee. Recovery on that one took longer because of my age and it really slowed me down. The repair wasn't as good either, that knee is "looser" than it used to be and looser than my right knee. Two years after that I tore the ACL in my right knee again and wadded up the meniscus bad enough that they had to remove 20% of it. Surprisingly my right knee now feels better than the left.

If you have a good surgeon and the work is done at a good facility you'll be out of there with minimal pain and can begin rehab very quickly. Do everything your PT wants you to. Don't overdo it but don't slack off either, especially as you regain your strength and range of motion and you get to feeling more normal.

That's about all I can say about that. Good luck!

[rexus31]

I had my left knee scoped about 10 years ago. About 80% of my meniscus was torn which caused it to fold over itself and lock my knee joint periodically. Not fun. The surgeon told me they normally cut the torn part out and recovery time is 2-3 weeks. In my case, since it was so badly torn, he advised not cutting it out because removal of that much meniscus would cause arthritis in the joint in 5-10 years. Instead, he sutured it together and darted it to the bone. The down side was an 8-9 week recover with a majority of that time in crutches and a leg immobilizer from mid thigh to mid calf. I've had no issues or complications with the joint since the surgery.

[bird72]

Do PT, I didn't. Should have! I believe range of motion issues most minimized with PT after knee repair..

[Bob Dillon]

I had the procedure done this morning. I am home and resting comfortably, with surprising little pain. I can walk (gingerly) without crutches.

As it turns out, the tear was in the lateral meniscus"red zone," and was healing. No suturing inside the knee was required, just some debridement and sucking out several pieces that had torn off and were floating around freely, which according to my surgeon, at risk to lock up my knee if they wound up in the wrong place. The doc also said I have a fair amount of osteoarthritis in the joint, which can only be addressed by a knee replacement, if necessary, later.

I was out for the procedure, but according to my sweetie, it took around an hour. I cleared recovery about 1 PM (Surgery started about 8) and arrived home about 2:30. I had to use crutches to walk into the house, but am now ambulating without them. I can't shower for 3 days nor soak the dressing, and the doc said she doesn't think I'll need PT.

I had this done at the VA hospital in Palo Alto. It's about 40 miles from my house, so we were offered an overnight stay in "Defender's Lodge," a first-rate hotel on the premises funded by a consortium of defense contractors. There is no charge and they treat you like gold. How cool is that?!

Also, my surgeon, (Constance Chu, MD, FACS) is a 1983 West Point Grad(!), and Harvard Med 1993, now a professor of Orthopedics at Stanford Hospital. So, no worries about discipline and education there, eh?

All in all, not as bad as I thought it was going to be. Should be able to drive by Saturday.

Many thanks to all my Pontiac buddies who provided advice. Much appreciated.