NSAIDS for knee pain?

[beardflames]

I have a torn meniscus in my left knee, accompanied by a syst in there as well. it has been ongoing for about 2 yrs and i finally got the MRI done and the diagnosis. the pain is on and off, and the severity of the pain also goes up and down. my orthopedist has rx'd me 2 different NSAID pain relievers thus far. I have had minimal pain relief from these meds. anyone else have experience with this? are the NSAIDS working for you? when i was originally injured i was taking 800 mg IB's and 5mg vicoding (when necessary). that was over a year ago when i first went the my Primary Care Dr. those were temporary RX's and now the ortho dr give me first meloxicam and now celebrex. sometimes they just dont do the trick.

[beardflames]

since my left knee has been injured, i think that over time i have started to favor my right knee and put more pressure on it. the other day i was taking the x-mas decs out of the attic and i must have twisted the wrong way...i heard that all too familiar "pop". now my right knee has been throbbing away. i wasnt always this clumsy. starting to feel like an old man. dammit i just turned 31! goddam im really uncomfortable. thanks for nothing meloxicam. worthless medication.

[Tuckamore]

LOL!!! You are a true Snowboarder!!! Thanks for the update.

Someone either misread the MRI or had a Brain Freeze and used the wrong medical terms. I understand your confusion. However remember that rather it is a lateral tear or a medial tear... It's a TEAR!!! That means you will risk tearing it even more or at the least increasing your pain to greater levels.

I sincerely wish you the best and hope you will reconsider Snowboarding until your meniscus is repaired. However I do "get it."  I too once loved a sport so much (Softball) that I played through a season ( on three leagues) with a rotator cuff injury. Pretty Stupid as I really messed it up! So be prepared! :o)

Again I thank you for your update and hope to hear how you are doing.

Best Wishes,
~Tuck

[beardflames]

well the 2nd opinion was both helpful and confusing. helpful because i got another perspective on what my options are. however, the 2nd dr said that after looking at my MRI he sees a medial meniscus tear, when the 1st doctor said there was a lateral tear. so i need to call back the first dr and have him take a 2nd look. somebody has made a mistake. and im not getting "exploratory" surgery on my knee. so im still in pain. no relief. screw it im going snowboarding atleast once this season before i deal with this.

[Tuckamore]

I understand your hesitation your  to undergo a surgical procedure. However arthroscopic repair of the meniscus (paring down of the torn meniscus) is standard practice.  Indeed it may become worse and more painful with time. Unfortunately this is not something that heals on it's own..... at least I have never heard of it. Admittedly I am not an expert in anything. :o)

It is always wise to obtain a second opinion. Please  share with us the outcome of your appointment.  

Good Luck,
~Tuck

[marycarmel]

Great idea getting the second opinion!  I've had 9 surgeries on my hand by the same surgeon BUT for each surgery, i always got a second opinion.  I knew my surgeon had a great reputation as one of the best hand surgeons in the area.  I also did a lot of research on my own particular problem.  But I was comfortable with my surgeon and knew he was doing what was best and that my issues were difficult.  Some people couldn't understand why I let the same surgeon do all the surgeries when the outcomes weren't great.  But it was the underlying cause in my situation, not the surgeon, that was the problem.  (I did feel better when an independent doctor reviewed my case and said he would have let this doctor do repeated surgeries on him ... he had worked with him earlier in his career and knew him professionally.)

I hope you can get this problem fixed.  I know of two people, one being my dad, who did have the surgery and had excellent outcomes.

I've used a lot of medications over the last few years.  I've used ibuprofen a lot and even though it doesn't take care of my pain, it did help other medications work better and/or longer.    I knew for sure it helped when I couldn't take it for a period of time and found my other medications didn't help quite as much.

Like Tuck said, we're all different when it comes to medications.  I hope you can find some combination to help keep you more comfortable until you find a more permanent solution.

[beardflames]

i have met with an orthopedic dr and he suggested that i get an arthroscopy. but to me it seemed like he was so quick to recommend surgery. he said that they can try to repair the meniscus, but if they cannot do so they will just remove the damaged part of it. sounds to me like it would be worse to not have the meniscus at all, but he said it is worse for you to have a damaged meniscus that to not have it at all. so i am getting a 2nd opinion on monday. if this doc says the same, i will probably get it done. bad timing, its snowboard season!!!

[Tuckamore]

Hi Beardflamnes,

Welcome! The pain of a Meniscus Tear can be excruciating. I am sorry that you are experiencing it!

Pain is perceived and handled differently by each of us. The same is true for how we respond to medications. If NSAIDs are not effectively controlling your pain, I encourage you to discuss this with your treating physician. You deserve to be comfortable although we all must learn to live with a degree of pain....l which it sounds like you doing.

Are you not a candidate for a repair? That would obviously be the solution to your pain. I would also discuss that possibility with a surgeon.

Best of Luck and please keep us updated.

~Tuck