knee qestions

[countyguy2003]

yea i had knee surgery 7 months ago for a torn meniscus my surgen wanted to put me back on full duty and i tolde him i really couldnt cause anytime i stand for any amount of time i start limping again and everytime i turn just rite my knee pops my limping is real bad if i stand on concrete for any amount of time. he said he was gonna send me for sum test too see how disabled i was before they close the book on me do u think i should see another surgen or have another MRI done to see if sumthing mite have been missed or if reinjured it cause im only 31 and i dont wanna be disabled at this age

[Jaybay]

I wouldn't give up hope just yet.  You definitely need another MRI.  You could have reinjured it or developed scar tissue as a result of the surgery.  

The one person who really helped get the fluid out of my bum knee was my chiropractor.  Luckily, the one I went to specialized in sports medicine so he was more like a physical therapist.  He put me on one of those inversion tables.  You slowly rock on it until you can build up to being upside-down for 10 or 15 minutes.  I eventually ended up hanging by my ankles from a bar which allowed gravity to drain the fluid out of my knee.  Sounds nuts I know, but it worked great and was a whole lot better than a needle aspiration.  

Years later I started a weightlifting program.  That and lots of rollerblading finally got my knee back to normal.  You can't beat the side-to-side motion of rollerblading for strengthening critical knee structures.  Cycling is a good one too.  Obviously you aren't anywhere near ready for something like that right now.  I only tell you this to give you some hope that you won't be like this forever.  

Have you purchased good footwear to take some of the strain off your joints?  Even some insole inserts will help.  Anything to absorb some of the shock from walking on hard surfaces.  Any news on when they'll do the functional assessment for WC?  Does your surgeon do that or does WC send you to a different doctor?  In any event, keep pushing for another MRI.  Something still isn't right.  Can you afford to consult another doctor for a second opinion?

[countyguy2003]

yea i did alot of thearapy after surgery to get the muscle workn in my leg they put a zapper on it to help my knee was ful of fluid is why the muscle shut down i guess i havent done much thearpy latley been busy workn but when i was walkn in to work lastnite it was popn like side to side everytime i stepped its real bad anytime i stand on conceret i get this real bad pain in my knee and start limping and if i turn just rite it pops and still have pain in it when i lean forward to pick something up ive lost most hope the only thing i can see is im gonna have a bad knee forever?

[Jaybay]

Keeping your weight down surely will help, but so will physical therapy.  The more you favor your injured leg, the more muscle you lose.  The more muscle you lose, the more stress goes onto other structures like tendons, bones, ligaments, and cartilage.  That means a weaker joint that is even more prone to injury.  Did you have any PT and are you still doing it at home?

[countyguy2003]

hey wanted to thank you again let ya know how its goin i still have sum snappn in my knee when i turn just rite i cant stand on cement for anyamout of time i get pain in my knee and usualy start limpin sounds like im gonna have a messed up knee for life cause where it was a workmans comp injury they wont order another MRI unless the surgen says so and he doesnt seem to think i need that he wants me to take a function assement test i think he callled it to see how disabled i am idk the biggest thing thats helped me is ive lost 20 pounds guess i gotta keep my weight down

[countyguy2003]

hey thanks for the info your the only one that has listend to what ive said my knee is still real sore in places to touch and i have alot of pain when i stand on cement for a couple mins the biggest problem ive had is tryn to get them to do another MRI to see what is going

[Tuckamore]

Hi Countyguy,

Yes I do think you need further investigation on the knee. A meniscus repair should have cleared up most of your pain if not all of it..... especially after seven months.  

A meniscus tear and repair should in no way disable you. It's a fairly minor/moderate injury and normally the repair process is not complicated.  So it bears further evaluation.

Good Luck to You. And please let us know how you are doing.

Take Care,
~Tuck