My father (65) had both knees operated on at different times. His first surgery went really well and he was walking in 3 days! second surgery didn't go as well and ended up getting an infection I think recovery is like 4-6 weeks. I could be wrong.
My father (65) had both knees operated on at different times. His first surgery went really well and he was walking in 3 days! second surgery didn't go as well and ended up getting an infection I think recovery is like 4-6 weeks. I could be wrong.
Dang infections are not good.
I'm afraid of that so hopefully I can take care of it good and avoid that.
i'm 29 so hopefully I have youth on my side. Can't be worse than the swelling and stiffness I have now. Feels like i'm 50 with this tear.
Joined: 27 Jul 2004 Posts: 18203 Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2013 12:09 pm Post subject:
Just had both medial and lateral meniscus repaired at the end of last year. The lateral meniscus tear was a few years old. They also found I had torn my ACL several years ago which I chose not to fix at this time. Never had problems with knee pain until I tore the medial meniscus last summer.
I was up and walking around the day after surgery. The surgeon said I would be back running in 6-8 weeks, but it took me almost twice that long before the leg felt strong enough. I only just started running again at the end of last month. I've been having some issues with my calf flaring up, but that's probably because I've had a few strains in it the past few years. _________________ "Suck it up. Don't be a baby. Do your job." - Kobe Bryant
Just had both medial and lateral meniscus repaired at the end of last year. The lateral meniscus tear was a few years old. They also found I had torn my ACL several years ago which I chose not to fix at this time. Never had problems with knee pain until I tore the medial meniscus last summer.
I was up and walking around the day after surgery. The surgeon said I would be back running in 6-8 weeks, but it took me almost twice that long before the leg felt strong enough. I only just started running again at the end of last month. I've been having some issues with my calf flaring up, but that's probably because I've had a few strains in it the past few years.
Did they repair it or take it out? I heard if you repair it then the recovery is much longer.
Had a torn meniscus when I was about 14. I had crutches for 2 weeks, but after a couple days I could walk lightly on it without too much trouble. Didn't have much pain, but it was swollen, and took a while before the stability really comes back.
I was back to doing martial arts after about 2 months if I remember rightly, and back to playing football (soccer) at about the same time. _________________ Lakers, Chargers, Dodgers, Arsenal FC.
Had a torn meniscus when I was about 14. I had crutches for 2 weeks, but after a couple days I could walk lightly on it without too much trouble. Didn't have much pain, but it was swollen, and took a while before the stability really comes back.
I was back to doing martial arts after about 2 months if I remember rightly, and back to playing football (soccer) at about the same time.
Do you know if they repaired it or removed it?
I keep reading that if they remove it which is what happens most of the time then you are likely to have knee problems later on.
Yeah, I had a torn meniscus as well. Too much basketball. I jumped up and landed and felt something pop in my knee. After the swelling went down in my knee, I'd still feel a sharp pain behind the knee.
The orthoscopic surgery itself went well, no complications. They removed a thin flap, a small part, that was causing the rubbing and pain. I don't remember a thing actually. I was put out, and later I woke up in the hospital bed with a huge smile -- I was all doped up and felt fantastic.
The rehab was weird though. The sharp pain from the meniscus tear was gone, and I could return to playing sports with friends, but I was plagued with fluid build up on the side of my knee. I wrapped my knee to protect it, but every several months, I'd have to see the doctor to get my knee aspirated. He'd stick a huge needle into the side of my knee and drain out all the gunky white fluid. Whenever he did that, my knee felt great, no more uncomfortable pressure from the fluid, that is, until it slowly built up again.
I was annoyed since I did a lot of exercising, a lot of mountain biking to build my leg strength up, but for three years I had to deal with occasional fluid issues.
Finally, it was my martial arts friends who gave me the answer. Do tai chi they said. I'd gone to them because they've had numerous knee injuries.
And, it worked! Tai chi builds up incredible leg strength, you're basically shifting weight between your two legs for long periods of time. It also teaches you proper balance. I realized that I was favoring my good leg, in ways, that I hadn't realized. Because my tai chi teacher was the real deal, and taught us martial arts applications, if I wasn't balanced, I'd get thrown. We would do these two-man pushing hand exercises, kind of like Judo, but done at a slower pace. You can feel when your opponent is off balance, and if so, you do a push that can make the guy fall or get thrown.
I learned the hard way that my body wasn't balanced. LOL.
Also, in order to stay balanced, I had to learn how to twist and move my center of gravity, which in turn increased the range of motion in both my knees. After a year and a half of doing tai chi, I didn't have to wear any wrappings nor did I get the fluid build up any more. 100% good as new.
Anyway, my advice is that when you rehab, don't concentrate just on the fixed leg, but try to make it holistic. You'll be tempted to change your body movement because your leg is weak, and you'll overcompensate with your other leg and it's a hard habit to break. If you do so, it'll throw other stuff out of whack, your back will not be aligned then your shoulder, etc. My tai chi exercised fixed a lot of things, not just my knee. So do something that works on proper body alignment and balance.
Even Kobe's doctor, the one who repaired his achilles tear, mentions the need to not develop bad habits early on. He said he's going to have Kobe put weight on the repaired foot soon, so he can learn to trust it, to get him balanced early on in the rehab.
I thought that was interesting, because that was what happened to me. I had developed bad habits duing my rehab, and it was very hard to break, and it had led to other issues.
Yeah, I had a torn meniscus as well. Too much basketball. I jumped up and landed and felt something pop in my knee. After the swelling went down in my knee, I'd still feel a sharp pain behind the knee.
The orthoscopic surgery itself went well, no complications. They removed a thin flap, a small part, that was causing the rubbing and pain. I don't remember a thing actually. I was put out, and later I woke up in the hospital bed with a huge smile -- I was all doped up and felt fantastic.
The rehab was weird though. The sharp pain from the meniscus tear was gone, and I could return to playing sports with friends, but I was plagued with fluid build up on the side of my knee. I wrapped my knee to protect it, but every several months, I'd have to see the doctor to get my knee aspirated. He'd stick a huge needle into the side of my knee and drain out all the gunky white fluid. Whenever he did that, my knee felt great, no more uncomfortable pressure from the fluid, that is, until it slowly built up again.
I was annoyed since I did a lot of exercising, a lot of mountain biking to build my leg strength up, but for three years I had to deal with occasional fluid issues.
Finally, it was my martial arts friends who gave me the answer. Do tai chi they said. I'd gone to them because they've had numerous knee injuries.
And, it worked! Tai chi builds up incredible leg strength, you're basically shifting weight between your two legs for long periods of time. It also teaches you proper balance. I realized that I was favoring my good leg, in ways, that I hadn't realized. Because my tai chi teacher was the real deal, and taught us martial arts applications, if I wasn't balanced, I'd get thrown. We would do these two-man pushing hand exercises, kind of like Judo, but done at a slower pace. You can feel when your opponent is off balance, and if so, you do a push that can make the guy fall or get thrown.
I learned the hard way that my body wasn't balanced. LOL.
Also, in order to stay balanced, I had to learn how to twist and move my center of gravity, which in turn increased the range of motion in both my knees. After a year and a half of doing tai chi, I didn't have to wear any wrappings nor did I get the fluid build up any more. 100% good as new.
Anyway, my advice is that when you rehab, don't concentrate just on the fixed leg, but try to make it holistic. You'll be tempted to change your body movement because your leg is weak, and you'll overcompensate with your other leg and it's a hard habit to break. If you do so, it'll throw other stuff out of whack, your back will not be aligned then your shoulder, etc. My tai chi exercised fixed a lot of things, not just my knee. So do something that works on proper body alignment and balance.
Even Kobe's doctor, the one who repaired his achilles tear, mentions the need to not develop bad habits early on. He said he's going to have Kobe put weight on the repaired foot soon, so he can learn to trust it, to get him balanced early on in the rehab.
I thought that was interesting, because that was what happened to me. I had developed bad habits duing my rehab, and it was very hard to break, and it had led to other issues.
Hope that helps.
Wow dude that was very insightful.
Yeah I had read about working out both legs to keep things equal but you nailed the point home.
I'm going to do about a week of rehab and then start working on it myself and i'll make sure to work both legs. I'm hoping things go well.
Right now as it is if i'm not exercising then its fine. Feels slightly off but no pain just feels a bit weaker than my good leg with less smooth rotation.
When I exercise then things go to hell. Not so much pain but swelling, stiffness and weak leg. I feel like an old man out there and no where near 100% Then after it takes a while for the swelling to go down and range of motion to come back.
Joined: 27 Jul 2004 Posts: 18203 Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2013 2:59 pm Post subject:
Kobeskillz wrote:
Did they repair it or take it out? I heard if you repair it then the recovery is much longer.
Repair. Removal was never discussed. I'm sure it took me longer because I'm in my 40s and sit on my can most of the day. A younger, more active guy probably will recover faster. _________________ "Suck it up. Don't be a baby. Do your job." - Kobe Bryant
Joined: 31 May 2005 Posts: 7920 Location: Chattanooga
Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2013 3:49 pm Post subject: Re: Torn Meniscus Surgery question
Kobeskillz wrote:
Hi guys,
Has anyone had a torn meniscus and surgery?
I'm getting surgery cause I tore it 3 years ago playing ball.
Just wondering what the recovery time might be and what you guys went through.
I think I tore my meniscus one day just shooting around. I was shooting by myself and I was praticing the one leg Dirk fadeaway, and just as i'm exploding up to shoot....I heard a slight pop. I felt a burning sensation for a minute or two then it went away
It's been over a year now and I can run north/south just find, but a while back I tried playing basketball and I could hardly move East/West.
WHat kind of symptoms did you feel from the torn meniscus?
Kobeskillz, thanks. Glad you got something from what I wrote.
The procedure itself, the orthoscopic surgery, is fairly routine. It's a pretty quick operation. There was a long discussion about it when Kobe had it done a couple years back -- some people thinking it was the end of his career while more informed people explained how routine it is. You probably could find it (it was in the Lakers forum) and there was some people with medical backgrounds commenting on it.
I was able to walk and run fairly quickly after my operation. It didn't take long. I didn't rush it, but I know I was biking and playing recreational sports within a few months. Probably could have come back sooner. Some of the guys in the NBA came back after a few weeks, so it depends on your shape. A couple guys came back just after 14 days, but not sure if they were 100% yet.
The fluid issue and correcting my bad habits took awhile, had I known what I know now, I would have gotten to 100% much sooner. I didn't do any research on how to rehab it, so until I did tai chi a few years later, my leg felt like it was at about 85% of what it used to be.
Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2013 4:56 pm Post subject: Re: Torn Meniscus Surgery question
KobeMania wrote:
Kobeskillz wrote:
Hi guys,
Has anyone had a torn meniscus and surgery?
I'm getting surgery cause I tore it 3 years ago playing ball.
Just wondering what the recovery time might be and what you guys went through.
I think I tore my meniscus one day just shooting around. I was shooting by myself and I was praticing the one leg Dirk fadeaway, and just as i'm exploding up to shoot....I heard a slight pop. I felt a burning sensation for a minute or two then it went away
It's been over a year now and I can run north/south just find, but a while back I tried playing basketball and I could hardly move East/West.
WHat kind of symptoms did you feel from the torn meniscus?
Sounds like a meniscus tear to me. I felt a pop, too, and moving side to side made me wince. I could walk fine, but sometimes when I turned or moved in a certain way, I'd feel that sharp pain inside my knee.
If you see a doctor, they can take an MRI and let you know if you have a tear.
Thank god for orthoscopic surgery though -- they make small incision then stick a small tube with a camera and some tool to repair the meniscus -- it's non-invasive so you heal fast.
Night and day from what my friend's dad had to go through in the 60s. They had to open his knee up so they could see the cartiledge tear with their eyes, instead of using the tiny camera in today's orthoscopic procedures, and because they open up the knee to the air and environment, it took a long time to heal afterward.
Last edited by gildedgirth on Wed Apr 17, 2013 5:14 pm; edited 1 time in total
Joined: 27 Jul 2004 Posts: 18203 Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2013 5:12 pm Post subject: Re: Torn Meniscus Surgery question
KobeMania wrote:
WHat kind of symptoms did you feel from the torn meniscus?
Pain on the side of your kneecap. I didn't have any swelling after I tore it but I couldn't run more than 25 yards or so before the pain would force me to stop. Even after resting for 4 weeks, then going to PT for another 4 weeks the pain didn't go away. _________________ "Suck it up. Don't be a baby. Do your job." - Kobe Bryant
Joined: 21 May 2001 Posts: 11831 Location: West LA
Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2013 5:47 pm Post subject:
gildedgirth wrote:
Yeah, I had a torn meniscus as well. Too much basketball. I jumped up and landed and felt something pop in my knee. After the swelling went down in my knee, I'd still feel a sharp pain behind the knee.
The orthoscopic surgery itself went well, no complications. They removed a thin flap, a small part, that was causing the rubbing and pain. I don't remember a thing actually. I was put out, and later I woke up in the hospital bed with a huge smile -- I was all doped up and felt fantastic.
The rehab was weird though. The sharp pain from the meniscus tear was gone, and I could return to playing sports with friends, but I was plagued with fluid build up on the side of my knee. I wrapped my knee to protect it, but every several months, I'd have to see the doctor to get my knee aspirated. He'd stick a huge needle into the side of my knee and drain out all the gunky white fluid. Whenever he did that, my knee felt great, no more uncomfortable pressure from the fluid, that is, until it slowly built up again.
I was annoyed since I did a lot of exercising, a lot of mountain biking to build my leg strength up, but for three years I had to deal with occasional fluid issues.
Finally, it was my martial arts friends who gave me the answer. Do tai chi they said. I'd gone to them because they've had numerous knee injuries.
And, it worked! Tai chi builds up incredible leg strength, you're basically shifting weight between your two legs for long periods of time. It also teaches you proper balance. I realized that I was favoring my good leg, in ways, that I hadn't realized. Because my tai chi teacher was the real deal, and taught us martial arts applications, if I wasn't balanced, I'd get thrown. We would do these two-man pushing hand exercises, kind of like Judo, but done at a slower pace. You can feel when your opponent is off balance, and if so, you do a push that can make the guy fall or get thrown.
I learned the hard way that my body wasn't balanced. LOL.
Also, in order to stay balanced, I had to learn how to twist and move my center of gravity, which in turn increased the range of motion in both my knees. After a year and a half of doing tai chi, I didn't have to wear any wrappings nor did I get the fluid build up any more. 100% good as new.
Anyway, my advice is that when you rehab, don't concentrate just on the fixed leg, but try to make it holistic. You'll be tempted to change your body movement because your leg is weak, and you'll overcompensate with your other leg and it's a hard habit to break. If you do so, it'll throw other stuff out of whack, your back will not be aligned then your shoulder, etc. My tai chi exercised fixed a lot of things, not just my knee. So do something that works on proper body alignment and balance.
Even Kobe's doctor, the one who repaired his achilles tear, mentions the need to not develop bad habits early on. He said he's going to have Kobe put weight on the repaired foot soon, so he can learn to trust it, to get him balanced early on in the rehab.
I thought that was interesting, because that was what happened to me. I had developed bad habits duing my rehab, and it was very hard to break, and it had led to other issues.
Hope that helps.
In Dr. Elattrache I trust. He's my Dr. Performed my ACL repair (right knee) back in 1995 and my microfracture (monochondral cartilage tear) back in 2004. My knees would be way worse than they are, if it weren't for him. Given that Kobe is a professional athlete and has way more trainers at his disposal, I'm 100% confident he's going to come back strong and prove all the doubters wrong.
Now, as for the OP's question regarding torn meniscus, recovery will be dependent on whether it's a partial or large tear. When I was initially diagnosed (by a UCLA orthopedist) on my ACL, he suspected a torn miniscus because I was able to put a little 'bit of weight on my leg and limp around. Projected recovery time, by that Dr. was 4-8 weeks (they only suspected a partial tear, but wanted to give me the potential length of time for recovery). Even though it didn't end up a meniscus tear, I've heard a similar sentiment, depending on the severity of the meniscus tear. And for all the potential knee injuries that require surgery, meniscus tear is supposedly the least worrisome of all. _________________ Just chill and watch the new Dynasty evolve...
Time for the Lakers to create a whole new legacy! We want 10 more trophies boys!
They'll go in and scope your knee with a camera, and decide then. It's most likely just a minor tear that they can just shed off, the surgery itself will take less than an hour. Biggest thing is to keep up with your rehab right after. Keep the swelling down, and try to do weight bearing exercises and perhaps get on a stationary bicycle as well so you don't develop scar tissue. You want to make sure to get your quads/hamstrings/glutes strong. What you could do is do some strengthening exercises BEFORE your surgery, that way your muscles won't atrophy as much immediately after your surgery, and you can recover a lot quicker. I had my ACL done last year so the process is a lot more intense, but the general concepts are similar. You should be good in 4-6 weeks, but make sure you take your time in rehab and don't try and do anything that feels awkward on your knees. Good luck.
Joined: 21 May 2001 Posts: 11831 Location: West LA
Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2013 9:27 am Post subject:
Kobeskillz wrote:
CandyCanes wrote:
Didn't MWP come back in two weeks?
Yeah but these guys already have strong muscles. Plus around the clock doctors, training and rehab. I have a full time job, and a family.
A little harder for regular folks to concentrate on the rehab.
My co-worker had meniscus repair done. His recovery took about 1.5 months (before being cleared for normal exercise activity). That's with 2 weeks off, then physical therapy 3 times a week, as well as a full time job. He doesn't have a wife and kids, but he was still able to do just fine. _________________ Just chill and watch the new Dynasty evolve...
Time for the Lakers to create a whole new legacy! We want 10 more trophies boys!
Joined: 24 Dec 2007 Posts: 35813 Location: Santa Clarita, CA (Hell) ->>>>>Ithaca, NY -≥≥≥≥≥Berkeley, CA
Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2013 9:54 am Post subject:
Kobeskillz wrote:
CandyCanes wrote:
Didn't MWP come back in two weeks?
Yeah but these guys already have strong muscles. Plus around the clock doctors, training and rehab. I have a full time job, and a family.
A little harder for regular folks to concentrate on the rehab.
Well, I guess you could always take the Paul Pierce route in that case. Do you know anybody who would be willing to push you around in a wheelchair 24/7? _________________ Damian Lillard shatters Dwight Coward's championship dreams:
Yeah but these guys already have strong muscles. Plus around the clock doctors, training and rehab. I have a full time job, and a family.
A little harder for regular folks to concentrate on the rehab.
Well, I guess you could always take the Paul Pierce route in that case. Do you know anybody who would be willing to push you around in a wheelchair 24/7?
Haha nah son i'm going out Kobe Bryant style. I'm walking out on my own.
Had a torn meniscus when I was about 14. I had crutches for 2 weeks, but after a couple days I could walk lightly on it without too much trouble. Didn't have much pain, but it was swollen, and took a while before the stability really comes back.
I was back to doing martial arts after about 2 months if I remember rightly, and back to playing football (soccer) at about the same time.
Do you know if they repaired it or removed it?
I keep reading that if they remove it which is what happens most of the time then you are likely to have knee problems later on.
Repair. I had the operation very shortly after I injured it. I thought removal was for tears too serious to repair or long term issues.
Never had any problem since with it, pretty straightforward procedure in my case. _________________ Lakers, Chargers, Dodgers, Arsenal FC.
Had a torn meniscus when I was about 14. I had crutches for 2 weeks, but after a couple days I could walk lightly on it without too much trouble. Didn't have much pain, but it was swollen, and took a while before the stability really comes back.
I was back to doing martial arts after about 2 months if I remember rightly, and back to playing football (soccer) at about the same time.
Do you know if they repaired it or removed it?
I keep reading that if they remove it which is what happens most of the time then you are likely to have knee problems later on.
Repair. I had the operation very shortly after I injured it. I thought removal was for tears too serious to repair or long term issues.
Never had any problem since with it, pretty straightforward procedure in my case.
Yeah I think since it's been 3 years since I hurt myself then a repair is most likely out of the question.
Had a torn meniscus when I was about 14. I had crutches for 2 weeks, but after a couple days I could walk lightly on it without too much trouble. Didn't have much pain, but it was swollen, and took a while before the stability really comes back.
I was back to doing martial arts after about 2 months if I remember rightly, and back to playing football (soccer) at about the same time.
Do you know if they repaired it or removed it?
I keep reading that if they remove it which is what happens most of the time then you are likely to have knee problems later on.
Repair. I had the operation very shortly after I injured it. I thought removal was for tears too serious to repair or long term issues.
Never had any problem since with it, pretty straightforward procedure in my case.
Yeah I think since it's been 3 years since I hurt myself then a repair is most likely out of the question.
That'll be for the doctors / specialists to decide. My guess is it would depend on the severity of the tear and the impact it has on your knee functioning. Not that I know this for sure, but you'd like to think they'd try to repair before just electing to remove, but I guess you will fidn out soon...
Good luck bro! _________________ Lakers, Chargers, Dodgers, Arsenal FC.
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
I think recovery is like 4-6 weeks. I could be wrong.
and watch the new Dynasty evolve...
