Personal stories about meniscus tear surgery

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Personal stories about meniscus tear surgery

These stories are based on information gathered from health professionals and consumers. They may be helpful as you make important health decisions.

Jose, age 41: I've had quite a bit of pain on one side of my knee for a couple of weeks, but my symptoms have decreased. My doctor thinks that my meniscus may be healing on its own. I'm still seeing my doctor, though, and I've started rehabilitation with a physical therapist. He's got me going through range-of-motion and knee strengthening exercises at home. I don't think I'll need surgery.

Will, age 63: A few months ago, I started having pain in my right knee when I would move it certain ways. My doctor examined my knee and asked me about my symptoms, and diagnosed a tear in my meniscus. A follow-up MRI confirmed it. I've been doing rehabilitation, but it's been 2 months and I've still got pain, particularly if I twist my knee at all. The orthopedic surgeon thinks that I may have a flap or piece of the torn meniscus moving in the knee, which is giving me a lot of problems with my knee locking. He's recommending surgical repair, and I am going to go ahead with the surgery.

Alondra, age 32: I injured my knee about a month ago in a tennis game. It didn't take my doctor long to diagnose a meniscus tear, and I'm going to have an arthroscopic test to see just how much I've damaged the knee. The surgeon says she can do repairs in the same procedure. My mother has severe osteoarthritis, and I believe that my knee may develop early arthritis if I don't get this tear taken care of. The arthroscopic surgery makes sense to me.

Marlon, age 30: I am a serious athlete and this isn't my first injury, but this is the first time I've had to think about surgery. I've had bad pain in my knee fairly constantly since I twisted it in the gym a few weeks ago. It's particularly bad if I bend or flex my knee. The surgeon says that the MRI shows a large tear in the inner part of my meniscus, and that's the part that doesn't heal well. He's recommending a partial meniscectomy to remove the damaged tissue. He says that he'll only have to remove a small part of the meniscus and I'll still have stability in the knee, and no more pain! I'm going to have the surgery next week.

Credits

Last updated:	September 22, 2008
Author:	Shannon Erstad, MBA/MPH
Reviewed By:	William M. Green, MD - Emergency Medicine, Kenneth J. Koval, MD - Orthopedic Surgery, Orthopedic Trauma
Editors:	Kathleen M. Ariss, MS, Pat Truman, MATC