post arthroscopic knee surgery (meniscal tear)

my knee 4 days after the arthroscopic surgery to remove torn meniscus

[@delyce22]

MrsScat, I am sorry your surgery has left you in more pain then before. If you have any type of arthritis in your knee like I do, you are still going to have some discomfort like I do. i can tell you that 3 months after my surgery my knee feels much better. It doesn't buckle or pop like it did prior to surgery.

[@kingmadrid410]

I tore my miniscus 7 months ago. I thought it would heal. I was playing light soccer but next day I be in pain. I finally decided to get surgery. Today. And now I'm road to recovery I'm glad I did this surgery now doc said I'll be back to soccer in 2 months at most. Get the surgery it's worth it. You won't t fell a thing they will knock you out and when you wake up it's all done

[@rain7733]

Going for lateral meniscus tear arthroscopic surgery to remove part or all of meniscus on Monday - ouch! This sounds very painful! Thanks for video and info here from all!

[@islesbelarus]

If it locks means part of your meniscus is already torn and surgery is the only option in this case. You may leave it the way it is, but it's still not healthy and will cause early arthritis when part of your meniscus circling around in your knee. Don't worry you should be fine in 3 weeks after surgery.

[@nasso60]

guys having a bupa insurance is the best thing i ever done . i had a arthroscopie surgery went very well i had the best surgeon, and the staff looked very well after me.at cromwell hospital if i have t go back i will do it again .

[@addicusbrown]

Just had the surgery Wednesday (7/22/09). It took 10 months after the injury to get the surgery so my knee had worsened considerably. Doc had to remove 80% of my meniscus. I woke up to no pain for the first time in nearly a year. Knee is slightly swollen. Bled like a pig for the first 1.5 days. It still pops, but I can walk w/o pain and actually sleep now. Hopefully the popping leaves and full movement returns after physical therapy.

[@islesbelarus]

Don't be terrified. Get MRI done and consult your doc on the prospects of surgery. Sometimes it can be that small piece of meniscus is already torn and flowing inside the knee preventing it from full extension. In this case surgery is the only answer and positive one. You'll be back to active sport in 3 weeks. Good luck to you!

[@MurdaMook011]

i just had this surgery done last thursday and i'm healing well. i tore my acl over the summer and along with it tore my meniscus and that was just repaired. then a few weeks ago i tore my meniscus playing basketball so they just removed some this time. only 3 days out and i'm back to walking with no pain. i still limp a bit since it's still swollen. from what i've read meniscus removal heals alot faster. i do powerlifting so i hope i don't have too many problems in the future.

[@MrsScatCat]

@islesbelarus Your knee doesn't look swollen at all after surgery. You certainly are lucky. My knee has been swollen like a balloon since my surgery. I have it elevated constantly, ice it and take meds for swelling. The pain and swelling are horrible. You are so lucky you had no complications.

[@1Batt]

Excellent! Good for you man! I'm looking forward to getting this past me next week! and being able to go run adn do things again..

[@MrsScatCat]

I never fathomed it would leave me crippled and put me in more pain than prior to surgery. This was suppose to be help not hurt. Doctor's oath: 1st, do no harm. Should have left it alone.

[@hollywoodartchick]

For me, the full range of motion still evades me 3years later. I got better as the months went past with physical therapy - using towels to pull the stretch further. Good luck.

[@delyce22]

GhostsinMyAttic - I am sure that you signed a consent form for your knee surgery and part of that consent form states that you give your doctor the consent to do whatevery is medically necessary in the area where he is performing surgery. I had arthroscopic knee surgery yesterday, 11-29-12 and I signed that form. My diagnosis was a torn meniscus and my doctor said his first intention was to repair the meniscus if it was repairable and if not he would remove it. He ended up having to remove it

[@MrAdditdude]

U dont need to worry about it the main thing is the Rehab Exercices for it. i had an operation for my completely torn Ligament and partial meniscus... it took me around 6 months to back to normal up n running Sadly while playing volley ball and being the net player I jumped and when landed twisted my knee badly again. Doc says i have to go through one more surgery for my torn meniscus, I never felt my leg like before, I just hope that this time it gets better and I can freely have sports

[@jamesdewer]

Based on the variety of comments, we are all in the same boat. We have had arthroscopic meniscus surgery. I had a bucket handle that was getting into the joint. It was not consistent pain until a couple months ago. Then it HURT!!. 50 years old. I walk'd without crutches in 1 day and was on the stationary bike in 3 days. I can walk without pain. It's getting back to running and windsurfing that will take time. The key is sticking to that PT. Get to the gym and push it. God bless

[@islesbelarus]

Every case is different. Depends on amount of meniscus removed and zone of removal. But, in general, if you have up to 20% meniscus removed your recovery time should not be long (3-4 mo).

[@HKPhooey]

I have to say that my cartilage was operated on 20yrs ago through playing a game called Football (not soccer) and now it is locking up again. I did not rush back, in fact I was to worried to play for up to 3yrs after the operation, I now have regular lock ups but nothing any wear near as painful before my first operation My suggestion is leave sport well alone. The other point is that you have never felt pain so bad as when you cartilage pops out, I still cringe at the thought of it.

[@jkjerome1]

No - it doesn't grow back - but with an arthroscopy operaation they can make a small incision, go inside and cut away the torn bit to leave your knee free to wor better. This can be done up until there's ~50% of the meniscus left. Then it's a knee replacement.

[@markiesurridge1]

'locked knee' suggests that surgery will be necessary. I have just had my third arthroscopy and the 'locked' symotom was the most significant each time

[@peperg270]

i had the same surgery on my left knee back on september 28 of 2006. i had it torn for 3 years and i kept playing on it until the meniscus mas visible outside then i decided to go to the doctor. haha. he was surprised i was able to play football, soccer and track for the last 3 years. then on march of 2007 i ended up tearing my ACL on the same knee and had reconstruction surgery on it. missed my junior year of football and track and also my senior year of football. im doing track right now.

[@islesbelarus]

it's a process. you have to do what doctors tell you to do and hope for the best results. It's 10 months after my initial surgery on meniscus (in this video) and only recently I started to feel better.

[@islesbelarus]

it all depends on the nature of the surgery (repair vs/ meniscectomy). with repair you're on crutches 1 month. with meniscectomy it all depends on the amount of meniscus taken out. the more- the worse.

[@islesbelarus]

if it's meniscus tear - it will not go away. however, make sure you explore all possible (and impossible) options before heading for the surgery. the reason why: they will just cut the piece of your meniscus out to prevent knee locking, but the pain may never go away.

[@islesbelarus]

general anesthesia. some people opt for spinal injection. return to sports depends on how much meniscus they cut and your physical therapy.

[@chicanoblvd]

I had this done 10 days ago and it's still swollen but not near as much as it was the first 5 days. I though they would only do one or two incisions so I was surprised when I noticed the three incisions like you had as well.

[@islesbelarus]

Having my ACL reconstruction on Jan 28 the first day of classes...

[@islesbelarus]

drive: 3-6 days swim: you have to make sure incision points healed up so there would be no infection. 6 days IMO.

[@Mclovin2602]

hey, I have had meniscus Implantation where they graft meniscus from the knee and grow it then replace it with the grown meniscus. It does hurt but the drugs that they give you help a lot. also you normally have about 6 weeks on crutches, then 6 weeks of recovery once your of the crutches. Hope this makes you feel better.

[@islesbelarus]

@whitee95e it takes from 6 to 8 weeks to walk normally. But each case is different and depends on type of surgery (partial or complete meniscectomy or just meniscus repair) and rehab. Do rehab diligently and you'll be fine soon. GL.

[@arvintkd]

hi, did you had a general anesthesia during the surgery?and after the surgery for how many months will you not into sport?

[@DermoCFC]

Not worried about surgery just the long term. Thanks for the response! just cant wait to play football again lol. Have it due sometime in January.

[@aznguy11111]

./cry....... i pray to god everyday to help me... i truly understood what he said, "your body is your greatest wealth." i was somewhat playing soccer yesterday and i hurt my knee a little bit.. then started crying, because it might never go away and i want to run and play so bad..... i'm really sad... .. /cry

[@MrsScatCat]

@GhostsInMyAttic I regret I ever had my surgery. I had it Dec. 28 and I'm so much worse. Saddens me no one warned me of the pain afterwards which is 1,000% worse than prior to surgery. Then I found out after the fact, my surgeon took all the cartridge out of my knee when he was only suppose to fix a small tear.

[@arny4me]

how long does it take to walk properly and be back at sports and for the pain to go away? some ppl say the next day, others a month... someone please reply im nervous

[@Leifr952]

just had this done. how long did it take for the pain to subside and for you to feel confident walking again?

[@BboyGrimm]

hey you had the same injury i had, and the same surgery. i had my on the 27th of september in 07, so not too long away from yours. so how are you now?

[@TenaciousBaller]

I've read up on certain types of knee braces that can be worn in place of getting surgery...it's definitely more cost efficient considering that I don't have health insurance. The question is, how well do these braces work. I've already tried standard hinged knee braces, and they weren't at all effective.

[@muffinboysmom]

i am having my other knee done thursday 8-26 and i am going back to work next thursday i am hoping that the second knee wont hurt like the one last year at this time i only had 2 key holes which had 2 stiches each

[@sam180693]

@Foolanna Cheers for the info, whats the best exercises to do after the op? or did you rest for a few days after? cause i have quite a bit of pain and like you say i cant fully straighten or bend my leg that much at all atm. Is it best to try and get it moving or just to rest

[@islesbelarus]

usually it takes 3 months to get back on track. sometimes (depends on the amount of meniscus taken out) it takes longer.

[@Foolanna]

@sam180693 Don't worry and don't force anything if you're in pain, I had the same surgery (bucket handle tear in lateral meniscus, partial menisectomy) 1 month ago and it took almost 10 days till I could fully stretch the leg because of the swelling. Still cannot bend it fully. Today I walked at least 2 hours and last week I took up swimming again. No running or jumping yet but I can see the progress (also have to deal with an ACL tear though). Training bike seems to work good for me

[@TenaciousBaller]

Are you put under for procedures like this? As in, unconscious?

[@bboyrocco]

@lalehm17 Did u do your phys therapy? What can't you do walk? run?

[@islesbelarus]

2.5 months since the arthroscopy and I still experience annoying mild pain while walking. In one month I'm off to another surgery to repair (reconstruct) my torn ACL.

[@whitee95e]

i just had a surgery like that yesterday how long did it take to heal and be able to walk normally

[@islesbelarus]

3-6 days. btw, I'm just out of hospital where they performed acl reconstruction on the same knee. feel myself crappy and will probably go to college on crutches.

[@kaiballa]

I just had this op 1 week ago and Im wondering how long till I can begin jogging? Im 23 years old pretty fit. Cheers.

[@kob3nme]

just had this done on the 20th. have three port holes. My lower ones hurt the most though probly because thats where they put the cutting tools and camera at.

[@stan1234655]

after your meniscus tore, could you straighten it out fully but experience a shooting pain?

[@muffinboysmom]

i am having my other knee done thursday 8-26 and i am going back to work next thursday i am hoping that the second knee wont hurt like the one last year at this time

[@Rivamus]

I had this surgery done but I've been having swelling and pain still 3 weeks post op. Could I have retorn it? And how long was it before you could extend your leg fully outwards?

[@arvintkd]

How long is the operation last?

[@unknowntbs]

I had this surgery done about a month ago and i am still not allowed to run, bike, walk on uneven ground such as hiking trails, or do anything that involves extreme use of the knee.... How long was it before you could be fully active again?

[@OSUlax959]

I just had my surgery a week and 2 days ago. Knee feels good, but it's still noticeable that it's not 100%. I noticed that you have the 3 incisions on your knee. My surgeon only used 2. Found it interesting, even though the video is from 2007.

[@george36lopez]

yes, Its been six months after the surgery and I feel a good amount of pain on the knee. I pop an Ibuprofen everyday before( FedEx). I'm hoping In another six months it will feel better than now. Also ,I am 5/7 215, going to drop five pounds, I'm 43 years old

[@leahbillings1]

You have to wear an immobilizer. I had a lateral release and medial....whatever it's called in November 2010. It's been several months, and I'm still having trouble taking stairs and sitting on my knees. No feeling in some areas (I hope that's not a bad thing).

[@JPLIKES2SK8]

whats it feel like afterwards

[@elsalvador131993]

@countyguy2003 ya I had a partial meniscectomy and know my knee hurts more than it did before the surgery before it was just swollen know I feel constant pain worst decision of my life

[@cherylcyq]

did you request the doctor to take this video for you?

[@gabruputt27]

Hi, Doctor I was playing cricket in jan and I heared a popping sound in my knee , I went with the RICE formula and it worked for me . bt then again it popped up in March , I again rested it for 1 week and it was healed , it happened to me now for the third time in May. I have visit the orthopaedic its a meniscus tear ,surgery . I am 25 male in sydney and I wanted to know that what are the post surgery results, my work includes standing and a normal walking ????

[@islesbelarus]

It is normal. but it should not persist for too long. Don't fret, get back to PT asap and you'll be fine. Good luck!

[@xoRachelandhearts]

ahhh im getting this done in 2 months ! does it hurt afterwards ?

[@Joey951M]

im getting an mri monday to declare if i need the surgery or not from my locked knee. im terrified i might sound like a sissy but im just afraid to be out of comission for a while. i love basketball and every other day swimming. how long is the recovery process?? and is it possible that it will go away without the surgery?? i can nearly fully extend my leg. can i please get a response from a few people who've been through this?

[@islesbelarus]

@xoRachelandhearts actually it does. But it doesn't compare to my ACL surgery. Pain was brutal. I'd deliver a baby if not for painkillers. After meniscus surgery it's not post op pain that you should worry about, but proper recovery afterwards.

[@MrsScatCat]

@DeadlyStrike007, smart move. I had meniscus surgery a year ago and I'll regret it the rest of my life. I went from a very active lifestyle to zip.

[@MrsScatCat]

@countyguy2003 I also have regrets about my surgery. It's been 2 months since the surgery and I, too, have throbbing, pain, tightness and stabbing pain during the night. I'm 5'4" - 135 pds. I had tiny meniscus tear with swelling after training for 5K - never during normal activity - just training and I never had pain. Now the swelling is horrible and pain bad, too. I use ice 4 times - 20 minutes each time. The ice is the only relief. Looking into Pain Clinic w/ultrasound.

[@TenaciousBaller]

I tore my menisus a while ago and chose not to have surgery. Now, whenever my knee twists, it has a high chance is popping out of place. I don't know if this is due to damage that I did to it by continuing to play basketball on it, or from the initial injury, but it sucks. I'm limited to forward motion only at this point. If I try to make lateral moves, my knee won't hold up. Just playing hacky sack causes my knee to pop out...I'm dreading giong in to see a doctor. I know I'll need surgery.

[@1Prayerwarrior22]

I'm going in for Meniscus and ACL reconstruction on Wednesday... Pain levels still off the charts?

[@DillPickleSwimmer]

I just got my menisectomy 3 days ago and I am still mostly couch ridden. It hurts quite a bit if I forget my meds and it gets really itchy (cuz I'm not allowed to take off the bandages yet). They removed a floating piece from mine and then repaired the rest so they said it will take 2-3 months to heal for me (probably).

[@accent232003]

@riptides15 no men u don't need crutches... after my surgery i can walk straight but what i worried .. my knee is to weak to take a step but i can walk normally... so proper exercise and you'l do good..

[@FlippinPin0y]

My doctor told me that I have a high chance of arthritis. How much cartilage did you tear? was it a lot? what did he say about your physical lifestyle now after surgery?

[@islesbelarus]

I'm getting there. The problem is I have had another surgery (ACL reconstruction) 2 months ago on the same knee. But as for meniscus, then it wasn't pretty for all this time, sometimes I feel fine, sometimes meniscus decides to cause pain. But it's getting better with time and I hope soon I'll be close to 100%. What about you?

[@Foolanna]

How come you have 3 incision holes, I only had two? One for the camera, one for the instruments. Would like to tell you I watched the whole procedure as I planned to but it seems like at some point they got nervous and sent me to the land of dwarfs and fairies... so, how are you (walking) now?

[@bboyrocco]

@lalehm17 I wouldnt give up just yet... With a lot of care and therapy you can come back stronger... The human body is not that weak... Good luck tho and thanks for your reply... Im doing a lot of stationary biking and squats so I can stretch it I had my surgery the 14th of Jan and it hurts every now and then but its getting better and I cant walk but cant run... I tore my meniscus during a soccer game as well....

[@islesbelarus]

@TenaciousBaller If you don't have insurance - apply for one. If you can't - well, try to eat less, but get money for surgery (around $3-5K). And as far as anesthesia concerns it's up to you, you may tell you doc you want to be "knocked out" - general anesthesia, or to be conscious - local anesthesia. I did general, but man, I felt extremely crappy after it.

[@saad0105050]

I will have this surgery in probably 4 hours. Have bucket handle tear in medial meniscus, some loose bodies and possible ACL injury. Let's see.

[@Tret64]

I am about to have an MRI to see if i tore my left meniscus, I also play football. How long will it be till i will be able to play if the tear is not as serious as we think?

[@aznguy11111]

oh my god.. u had surgery already and it still hurts.... i fell on my knee like 1 month and a half ago.. there's pain in my knee, but i can still jump, and play sports... should i get a surgery? or will it go away in time

[@countyguy2003]

i had that surgery done at the end of january i just finished thearapy last week im still having sum popn limpn sum and sweeling its full of arthritist and ackes like hell nebody got neideas? plus its been affecting my back when i start limping

[@vtc4ever]

hi! im feeling quite good, im allowed to go to the gym, i can do sports after 1 extra month as long as high impact sports are not included. Bicycle is my routine cardio exercise now. Im lifting weights and exercising my recovering knee.

[@TurkBallz]

if you dont feel you knee pop and the doctors say you have a torn meniscus is it a good or bad thing? Please reply fast! :)

[@thelovelybandgeek]

That not too bad of a scare Back in june of '09 I had arthoscopic. I had a dislocated patella(knee cap) and it was a good few inches out of the socket and that one failed and went back to being dislocated so in january of '10 I had major knee surgery where I have about a five inch scar and they had to break the bone and shave it down and screw it back together. I'm left with the bolt still inside and it causes major pain with weather and i have no feeling on the left side of my leg by the scar

[@OSUlax959]

@katiemarie92294 it takes a lot longer to recover if the meniscus is repaired.

[@burningicex]

hehe, had my first arthroscopic surgery yesterday. I'm allowed to take the bandages off tomorrow. Guess I'm going to expect to see...that.

[@1Batt]

Are you now able to play sports after two months?

[@kob3nme]

having my knee scoped march 21st right before springbreak. Lil nervous seeing how ive never been put under.

[@aznguy11111]

i think i got ligament damage.. because i landed on my ligament.. i dont think it was due to a twist.. but just pressure smashing and seriously brusing my ligament.. but.. everytime i walk, my knee pops 60% of the time... could i recover from ligament damage.. i fell on the right side of my ri ght knee.

[@Ucandueit2]

Just had mines 2 days ago am in pain, took 2 vicodines and nothing, i get very itchy after i took them but i didnt get sleepy or took my pain away, i cant even move my leg cause it hurts, how long it takes for the pain to go away?

[@h8lin]

So I know it's dumb to seek advice via youtube, but I may be looking this surgery sometime in the near future. I would be having a small amount of "fringed" cartilage removed. Can anyone give me an HONEST idea of what recovery was like for them? I've recovery is painful and I wonder what to expect. Thanks!

[@islesbelarus]

everyone, who has undergone partial meniscectomy (they cut out the piece of your meniscus) has a high chance of arthritis. physical lifestyle should be normal or close to normal after you complete your course of physical therapy.

[@Foolanna]

I could hardly walk the first days after the op so I didn't do any exercices either. I also took some pain meds and heard you shouldn't exercise while taking them, you need to listen to what your knee tells you. I'm now attending a physiotherapy group twice a week at my local hospital but it's mainly for the ACL so I guess the exercises would be different. If you're in doubt I think it's best to see a physiotherapist to give you some advice

[@TheSecondRush]

Like it says above about 1 month or so...I was 6 weeks til I was completely back (wearing a brace of course) after I believe 3 months I have 0 pain and am right now not wearing the brace...so we'll see how that goes.

[@islesbelarus]

depends how much meniscus was removed. every case is different, but usually by the end of month post op you should be able to walk pain free. not trying to be a joy killer, but some pain may never go away, though it should definitely subside with time. be well.

[@1Batt]

Well I had a clean up three years ago..Got up after surgery walked around the bed without crutches..9 days later working on concrete.. Very sorry to those in pain post surgery..Have you gone to somebody else to see if something was done incorrectly?...I am in my mid forties..Im going in next week for the other knee..dont know how I tore it but I am looking forward to being pain free again!

[@TheSecondRush]

I had artho for my meniscus (medial i think) 3 weeks ago...tore it in a wrestling match...actually i have a video of it might put it on youtube, but yeah the op doesn't hurt almost at all. I could walk on it 2 days later, and the swelling had gone all the way down by 5 days. Idk why they cut into the lower theigh though.

[@Joey951M]

when did your swelling completely go away cause i swear im so close to popping my bubbly knee haha super puffy been 2 weeks after surgery. lemme know sir lol

[@xoRachelandhearts]

@TheGlueFace ahh okk thanks so much ! im less scared for it now !! andd im 15, ..16 in 2months (;

[@joesom58]

I had my surgery about three weeks ago to have a piece of my meniscus removed, I can straighten out my leg and walk normally but I still don't seem to have mobility in bending it back too far, i hope it gets better and not worst like some people have had, anyone have the same problem? and if so how long until it went away, if it even did go away

[@islesbelarus]

Did you do MRI? Knee doesn't have to pop all the time to have torn meniscus. If you have knee pain it can be meniscus tear.

[@islesbelarus]

and like in my case, I feel worse after the surgery than before. and it's already almost 3 month! but you should make MRI anyway to find out what you've got. it may be ligament damage in which case you should not be playing any sport.