My Medial Meniscus is Torn....

Bigger Stronger Leaner Competitive Bodybuilding
1

Ive posted some stuff on my knee injury before- so Ill just do a quick recap.

For over a year I was squatting with the wrong form.
My knees used to cave in…
Then somewhere in July I had this really bad cave in of my R leg.
Also my R glutei started hurting me.

I started seeing a Physio.
She said that
*Some ligaments/cartilage had been sprained in my knee
*Muscle injury in my glutei
*Twisted n Flat R foot.

I did this
*Deepwave DIA therapy.
*Strengthening my Quads n Hams with iso
exercises(Curls, Exts)
*Stretching
*Walking on toes,heels, ball rolling to develop an
arch.

After doing this for something like 1.5 month or
something the frequency of my pain had
lessed and and also the intensity.
However I still cant squat and the feeling in my R
glutei made me feel like the
R leg is just not a part of my body.

Then I met this Pro PLifter. He said that an Ortho
would be much better than a Physio.
On his insistence I visited an ORTHO.
Told him everything including my visit to the Physio.
He stretched my legs,toes, and then took my foot and
moved it in a circular fashion.
There was this loud POP.
This is what he says.
*My Medial Meniscus is torn.
The POP is because it kindda keeps going out and in of
the knee joint.
A surgery will have to be performed wherein hell remove the torn part/bad part of the Meniscus. About my Lower Back: He asked to lie down and touched a spot on my lower back and asked whether it hurt my glutei. It did. Not exactly Hurt but a mild stimulation. This is because he said the cushion disks were bulging out and pressing against some nerves. This is what is irritating my glutei. The only cure is rest. Ill have to wear this back belt for around 3 months.
___________________________________________—

I went for a second opinion.
And this time I acted like hes the very 1st Doc Im visiting for my injury. I didnt tell him anything about the Physio. He checked me and told me the same thing: Medial Meniscus torn. But he said this: *Go to a Physio- do some quad exercises *Ultra sound and deep wave therapy for 10 days. If my condition doesnt improve after that then Ill
have to go for surgery- in which he`ll remove
the torn/damaged portion.

So unfortunately both the Orthos are saying the same
thing.
Surgery to remove some parts of my meniscus.

I read this article in an old issue of Inside
Kung-Fu(Dec95)
Its by a Mike Ftzhugh…
"…a knee with a torn meniscus never completely
regains its pre-injury stability…
removing only the injured portion,leaving the rest
seems to be getting better
results(as compared to taking the whole thing out…)

Ive got some questions: 1.If any of youve undergone this- please tell me
everthing about it.
Are you better of now or do you think it would`ve been better without the surgery?
2.I really dont know what else to ask -so please just tell me everything you think would help me…

2

[quote]Azrael wrote:
Surgery to remove some parts of my meniscus.
[/quote]

I had my medial meniscus repaired on 28-May-2005.

[quote]Azrael wrote:
I read this article in an old issue of Inside
Kung-Fu(Dec95)
Its by a Mike Ftzhugh…
"…a knee with a torn meniscus never completely
regains its pre-injury stability…
removing only the injured portion,leaving the rest
seems to be getting better
results(as compared to taking the whole thing out…)
[/quote]

Are you sure that you want to go with an article that was written ten years ago? Did you visit a sports orthopedist? I would consult the doctor on the recovery along with people on the Knee Guru website (check google). I asked the doctor about the knee after the recovery and he said it would be 100% I am not there yet, but I can squat, deadlift, olympic lift, etc. The things that I am afraid to do are impact related, running, jump rope, etc.

[quote]Azrael wrote:
Ive got some questions: 1.If any of youve undergone this- please tell me
everthing about it.
Are you better of now or do you think it would`ve been better without the surgery?
2.I really dont know what else to ask -so please just tell me everything you think would help me…
[/quote]

I have convinced myself that if I did not get the repair completed that I would still be in pain and potentially making it worse.

The mistake that I made post-OP was that I did the rehab on my own. the doctor gave me (3) options; (1) go to a physical therapist (2) do 30 minutes a day on a stationary bike (3) complete 30 minutes of swimming a dat. I choose the bikig at home. I did not wantt o be bothered with going to a PT.

In making this decision, I did not know what limitations that I had. Therefore I would push myself to the limit. I NEEDED to hear someone say, “wow good progress today” when doing quarter squats. You see I pushed myself to get to low bodyweight squats for 3 weeks post-OP. It still hurt at that point (at some times quite a bit). When I saw the doctor for my follow up he said, “don’t go below parallel on your bodyweight squats and don’t run.” He then said to come back in (1) month and all restrictions will probably be lifted.

In (1) month my knee still hurt but the Doc lifted all of the restrictions and he wanted to see me again in (2) months. So at the (7) week period, I was able to do anything I wanted. But I knew my body and its limitations. I would work out (3) times a week and once on the weekend. I just would not stop. I mainly did bodyweight squats, deadlifts, pull-ups, etc. Also at this appointment he noticed that I was extremely flat footed. He suggest orthotics.

So I went to a foot doctor and got sized for some orthotics (yes my insurance does NOT cover them) then I got some cheap ones until the custom ones came in. Man the cheap ones (Dr. Scholls) really help!

Then about a month ago (the 4 month post-OP time frame), my knee was a little painful going into the weekend. My wife was also going away for the weekend and was I was feeling sick. So I literally sat on the couch for 48 hours, only getting up to use the bathroom and eat. By the time Monday came around, I felt 100%. Since then I have had very little pain and have started O-lifts again (which cause some pain afterwards, but NOT during).

So, the point of my post? Take your time to heal (don’t be afraid to sit on the couch for some time); go to a physical therapist (so that you know your restrictions); be patient.

Hopefully I gave you some good information.

-Machine

3

One thing to make sure you remember is that this will take TIME! Sometimes it will feel like you are making no progress and it will be frustrating, but hang in there. I know this because I tore my lateral meniscus, medial meniscus, and ACL all at once. I thought I would never get back to 100%. I think now I can say I am almost there. So be patient and good luck!

4

Go to Author’s Locker Room and ask Dr. Ryan about it.

I asked him about a similar problem I had (meniscal damage) that occured a few years back. I did end up not doing the surgery thing. His answer was quite thorough and I’m sure he can help you out too.

5

papasqt and machine-
Thnx a lot for your personal insights.
Regarding what you said about rest- i plan to be a couch potato for the next 3 months;)
Papasqt : man! its like you busted your knee completely.
And you are saying that you are getting better- thats great kneews…
If you dont mind then could you post some SOME of your stuff./…