Recovery time for meniscus tear repair - a question of 'how long'

[Mr Doof]

Looks like my sweetie-pie will behaving knee surgery in the coming months to repair a torn meniscus.

Anyone have meniscus repair surgery, and if so, how long was recovery? Recovery shall be determined by ability to walk 5 miles for 3 days in a row without pain/swelling.

Actual chart info below.

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MRI of the left knee at 3 Tesla

CLINICAL HISTORY: Left lateral knee pain and local swelling. Concern lateral meniscus tear with cyst. Evaluate meniscus, antero-lateral knee swelling, cartilage.

COMPARISON: Knee radiographs 11/21/2016

TECHNIQUE: Following a multiplanar localizer, the following sequences were performed through the knee: axial, sagittal and coronal T2-weighted sequences with fat saturation, coronal T1 and sagittal proton density weighted sequences.

FINDINGS: Menisci: There is horizontal intrasubstance tearing throughout the lateral
meniscus which decompresses into large parameniscal cysts laterally and anteriorly. There is abutment of Hoffa's fat pad anteriorly and mild bowing of the distal iliotibial band laterally by these cysts. The lateral parameniscal cyst component measures up to 1.3 x 3.4 cm and the anterior parameniscal cyst component measures up to 1.6 x 2.7 cm. Intrasubstance degeneration of the lateral body/posterior horn of the medial meniscus without discrete tear or medial parameniscal cyst formation. Cruciate ligaments: The anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments are intact. MCL/LCL: The medial and lateral collateral ligaments are intact. There is no evidence of meniscocapsular separation. The iliotibial band appears normal. The popliteus muscle and tendon appears normal. Extensor mechanism: The quadriceps and patellar tendons are normal in signal and morphology. No patellar tilt or subluxation. Patellofemoral joint: The patellofemoral ligaments are intact. Cartilage and marrow signal within the patella and femoral trochlea are normal. Cartilage and bone: The medial and lateral compartment cartilage is normal. Marrow signal is within normal limits without fracture. Miscellaneous: There is no significant knee joint effusion. No popliteal cyst is present. Visualized knee joint musculature is within normal limits. No loose bodies are identified within the knee joint. No vascular anomaly is evident.

IMPRESSION: 1. Large intrasubstance horizontal tear of the lateral meniscus which decompresses into large anterior and lateral parameniscal cysts as described. 2. No acute ligamentous or chondral injury.

END OF IMPRESSION

Edit:

Whoops, forgot to do this...

 

[VonMeister]

Has she had the cyst drained. I had mine done and was told it was a temporary solution and the fluid would likely build up again. It's been over ten years and I'm for the most part pain free.

Beautiful picture. You're a lucky man.

 

[Mr Doof]

1 She had 8 cc of fluid removed from cyst 10 days back. As of last night, looks like the swelling is back.

2 Photo is not of my sweetie-pie but it is a nice photo nonetheless. This is a shot of pre-knee injury sweetie-pie at a certain beach on Kauai from a few years back.

 

[Autoprax]

Where is the picture of the cyst?

 

[Ifallalot]

I have a torn meniscus. The doctor and I just agreed that it would be best to ignore it as much as I can since surgery would require a long recovery.

He said probably 55% of people over 50 have one, its just part of aging.

 

[cmogenic]

I have had two meniscus surgeries in the same knee. First one was at 32 yrs old due to a big tear that happened when a big foam ball took my board + front leg one way while I still had lots of momentum going the other way. Second was a few years ago at 44 yrs old and due to a bunch of small tears in the same knee. Both hurt like hell while walking and surfing.

For the first surgery in my thirties, I was able to surf and walk without pain/swelling in 2-3 weeks and didn't do physical therapy. My doctor told me to wait 6 weeks but it felt OK enough after two weeks.

For the second surgery in my forties, the recovery took about 8-10 weeks with physical therapy that seemed essential for recovery to get the leg muscles back to their original or stronger state.

According to the doctor, I have about 50% meniscus remaining in the knee. She said it was good that I was a surfer and not a runner.

That's my experience: 0.5 to 2.5 months depending on age.

Happy New Year!

 

[SurfDoc]

Not all meniscus injuries need surgery, and yes they are very common to find especially with active elderly.

 

[Mr Doof]

Quick follow-up:

She worked at recovery, put her time and pain in, and the result great.

Not 100%, but easily 95% of what she had before.