Torn meniscus - to repair or not to repair?

Hi - I think the posts are intermingling here. I didn’t get PRP - just cortisone. My MRI showed the tears. I have a surgical consult coming by up to see about an arthroscopy.

The tear was diagnosed following an MRI. I’m leaning toward getting the final PRP injection, so I’ll know I’ve tried everything before surgery. It’s only money, right?

I would appreciate hearing about how your surgical consult goes.
Also feedback from anyone about recovery after arthroscopic surgery.
Thanks everyone!

Thank you! Great and valuable advice😁

Hi, I had been getting Kenalog injections followed by 6 weeks of physical therapy on 3 separate occasions for a badly swollen right leg that was diagnosed as most likely arthritis based upon an X-ray. This lasted over a year and was told an MRI was not necessary. I went to a different PCP as I did not want to endure a fourth round of physical therapy and got an MRI in August 2022 that diagnosed a complex tear on the lateral horn of meniscus with cartilage fissures and a large Popliteal cyst. Having never gone through surgery before, I half-reluctantly opted for arthroscopic surgery in October 2022 as this knee was affecting my ability to work and live a normal lifestyle. My particular Ortho stressed that surgery is a last option and that all other alternatives should be explored first, but considering that I had been through three rounds with PT, received injections, and had been performing all of the prescribed home exercises with no improvement, and given the nature of the tear, that this surgery may be something to give careful consideration.
I was told that healing would be 8 weeks before I’d be back to “normal” resuming day to day activities.
I began carefully walking on it with full body weight within two days post surgery as suggested for the healing process, and at 8-10 weeks post surgery, I would still get painful swelling after a day at work on my feet and honestly thought that this would be a permanent issue, although it felt much better than pre-surgery. It took exactly one year before I started not being aware of my knee when I would work and go walking. What I mean by not aware is that I had no pain at all and my knee was just as normal as my other good knee, which caused me to stop thinking about it and just go about my life without that constant awareness under the surface. Today, at 17 months post surgery, I actually had to look at both knees the other day to try and find the small scars because I couldn’t remember which knee that I had surgery on when I was showing someone. That’s how much this surgery has changed my quality of life for the better. I still think that surgery should be carefully considered. I remember some things my Ortho asked me before opting for surgery were: “Is the worst case scenario of something not working out from surgery going to be better than your current situation?” Also, “is this affecting your ability to just live normally or is this currently a hindrance to your daily life?”, and, “Is it in constant pain when you move without without injections or pain killers to mask it?” If the answer is yes to any of those then surgery may be the better option. My particular surgeon also encouraged me to get other opinions and ask around about other surgeons. I ultimately chose him due to a high success rate, patient recommendations, and having one other doctor from an unaffiliated hospital mention him when I asked “where would you send your own family if they had to have this surgery?” While not letting them know I was looking for this myself. It was just that an opportunity to ask arose at an unexpected moment.

Okay so it took me until your 3rd paragraph to realize this wasn't something I posted. My to the t, exact mri findings last week. I've not seen anyone yet, but am hoping soon to discuss options. I wanted to ask if you don't mind sharing, the options you were given, suggestions or references your doctor gave, and what injury caused it. I have had significant pain in my right knee for almost 2 yrs, kept just assuming it was osteoarthritis and aging process starting, no clue what I could've done to it, injurywise.

I had meniscus surgery on both knees. Sports injuries. Went very well, was easy, and very little recovery time. Of course, I was only about 30 at the time of the surgery. I lost about 1/3 of the meniscus on both knees. The cartilage had kind of flipped over on itself. Just was never going to flatten out and be ok.

The person who advised me to get the surgery was my chiropractor.

So, that might be one way to go. Have a chiropractor assess it and see if he thinks it can be resolved without surgery.

Of course, the chiropractor's vested interest is in more treatments, so that can work against a fair assessment.

In my case, my chiropractor said, right off, he wasn't sure if his treatments would be enough to prevent surgery. So, he was completely honest.

But, then again, he is a more unusual case. He came from money, so he had no need to push people into treatments.

I know two excellent chiropractors here in NJ. If you want to sojourn to the Garden State, I can pass along their names.

Thank you!!! I'm still waiting for my surgical consult, but appreciate your so much!

Waiting for my surgical consult so I'll have to get back to you on my options. I did opt for a hopeful "quick fix" that being a cortisone injection. The PA told me it takes about two to three weeks to reach it's optimum benefit and I must say that she is right. Almost three weeks out and my knee is feeling so much better! I do still want a surgical consult to make sure that I'm not masking anything and causing more damage. I do have arthritis, however, prior to being attacked by a neighborhood dog, while walking my own dog, and slamming down hard on both of my knees, I have never had knee issues. I'm hanging this one on the Labradoodle.

Glad it feels better. I just try to stay in tuned with my knee. If I feel pain, I ease off the activity for the day and resume when ut feels better. Usually, a few hours and it’s better.

Talk about Labradoodles! This is my brother’s dog and he’s so special.