please need advice on my knee!!!

[cbs1982]

first off long story short i cant go back to my ortho doc till bills are paid. anyway i have had alot of knee pain since i was 13.i am 25.last summer i finally got health insc. and went to a very good ortho that did surgey on my seperated shoulder 5 yrs ago.MRI showed torn menicus cant remember which one now.had surgery and after a few weeks it felt better the next few months it still hurt from time to time same feeling (pain) as before,didnt hurt as much but when it did it felt exactly the same.so the past 6 months or so it bothers be daily to every other day,now everyday all the time.i am fed up with it pay all that money and didnt do anything.PAIN= is from above the knee to bellow the knee all around the front and usually the back tendons to.can anybody please that has any input tell me what you think my deal is.i posted in the ortho section but got no feedback.thanks in advance

[Spright1]

Thank you Sandee!

I just feel silly sometimes when I type a book (or just a reply) and Tuck or someone comes in with such a concise answer minutes to seconds before me!

I feel like the dreaded "me too!" poster...lol

It's good to know that you can delete a post, thank you again.   :)

~Spright

[sandee1818]

If you need a post deleted let me know. I can delete post but members can not at this time. I believe Med Help is working on having it available for members to delete their own post but I am not sure. I will check on it and get back to you:)

[Spright1]

Woops- guess I wrote too slow!

Is there a way to delete the posts?   lol

Best of luck and keep us updated!

[Tuckamore]

When you get insurance or some dollars I would see your PCP. He/she may be able t at least give you something for pain until you are able to obtain further evaluation. As I said earlier, just explain your situation.

Best of luck..please keep us posted. Tuck

[Spright1]

Hello cbs!

Welcome to the forum.

I'm sorry that you are having pain again from your knee.  Surgery doesn't always mean you will never have pain again, unfortunately.

What have you been doing to help?  I had knee and tendon issues in the past, and found that elevating it and icing it the first day it 'started up again' , taking asprin or other anti-inflamitories, and then applying heat in the absense of swelling really helped. I would 'blow it out' (my knee) from the Stupidist things like bending over to pick something up and I guess twisting wrong, but I was always very active and had the muscles built up in that area. I'd just get laid up for a bit (day or 2) to let it heal.

Are you letting it heal when it hurts? I know you say you are hurting every day, but are you letting it rest, or are you plowing on through? I personally found that letting it rest a day or 2 was better than being in pain for an indefinite time. I also wrapped it up in a stretch bandage to keep it in place for a bit (taking it on and off as needed) after that if I needed to get back to work etc. I just wouldn't say- rollerblade for a little bit.  ;)

I also maybe have some hope for you- Although it botherd me through my 20's and the beginning of my 30's off and on, for some reason it Stopped giving me problems after that.

I also was upset with the amount of $$ I spent treating it, but found the simple things I am telling you really helped the best. I had some tendon issues and ruffling of the cartilage in my kneecap. Doctors couldn't really do much for me (beside run up my medical bills!), and a new study has shown that arthoscopic surgery on knees isn't better for treating most tears than PT and pain management.

I'm not a doctor, but this is my experience.

What did you want to do to take care of this? Can you have PT? Did you just need to vent to others who are hurting as well? Pain can be very wearing!

People  are here for you, and I hope you get an answer soon in the ortho forum!

[cbs1982]

thanks for all the info.yes i am pretty sure he removed the tear area.and arthritis runs in my family very very bad,almost everyone on my moms side has some kind.i take IB prophen 800 mg dosnt do much to nothing,i have tried it all ice anti inflamitory,and i work in the tile/stone trade and is physical.and like alot of us here hyrocodone did wonders for my knee and my other issues.

[Tuckamore]

Hi cbs1982,

I am sorry you are having knee pain. What type of surgery did you have on your knee?
Did you have a Meniscus Repair or a Meniscectomy?

A meniscus repair is a surgical procedure done to repair the damaged meniscus. This procedure can restore the normal anatomy of the knee, and has a better long-term prognosis when successful. However, the meniscus repair is a more significant surgery, the recovery is longer, and, because of limited blood supply to the meniscus, it is not always possible.

A meniscectomy is a procedure to remove the torn portion of the meniscus. This procedure is far more commonly performed than a meniscus repair. Most meniscus tears cannot be treated by a repair for a number of reasons. Often the tear is in an avascular region of the meniscus, and will not heal even if repaired. Some tears are frayed and cannot be sutured together. In these cases, the meniscectomy is done to remove the damaged portion of meniscus. The meniscectomy has a faster recovery, but it can lead to trouble years down the road because of the absence of the normal meniscus.

Unfortunately just because you had surgery does not mean it is "cured." Indeed now you have a weakened knee for lack of  better words.  With a meniscus tear (torn cartilage) in your knee, the shock absorbing capacity of the joint is threatened. Because of this, there is an increased risk of developing damage to the articular cartilage surface of the knee joint bones; this is commonly referred to as knee arthritis. Loss of the meniscus places more of a burden on the cartilage surfaces of the joint and are more likely to develop knee arthritis.

So your ortho surgeon may have done an excellent job. You may have developed additional issues with the knee. I am not a physician this is only a suggestion, ice and rest may help.  By avoiding weight bearing to any degree this may also help rest the knee. NSAID may help to reduce the pain and inflammation.  

Again I am sorry you are having this horrid knee pain. I hope it will soon ease, if not you need to at least see your PCP and explain the situation. I hope you are able to get to the cause of your knee pain. Please let us know how you are doing. Take Care, Tuck