how to regain full use of knee (without surgery) after meniscus tear

Hello @rbon1, welcome to Connect. I'd like to invite @ew100, @randyvaughan, @ellerbracke, and @ees1 to this discussion as they have all discussed dealing with meniscus tears and how they have dealt with them via different treatments. It sounds like you and your internist are on the same page. Has your internist suggested working with your PT to potentially alter your routine to get over the plateau or what the potential plateau may be in relation to?

Thank you Justin. I would very much welcome hearing from anyone who was in a similar situation and wishes to share their experiences/learning.

@JustinMcClanahan Justin and @rebon1 I think this is what's going on with my knee a meniscus tear had X-Ray on both knees @rbon1 was yours painful? mine is and stiff in morning

Can’t speak to specifics re. meniscus tear. Had major knee problems, diagnosed as combination of meniscus tear, arthritis of tibia, some under kneecap, and assorted debris in knee. Did arthroscopic “clean-out”. PLEASE do not do this. I learned that arthroscopic surgery limited to soft tissue usually works quite well, once you get to cartilage, you might as well throw in the hat and look to stem cell treatment or knee replacement (both down the road, of course, depending on how bad things are). Wish I would have had a better grasp of things when my knee troubles started. I ended up with unsuccessful arthro surgery of knee, followed by TKR 11 months (and lots of pain, exercises, shots, frustration) later. OK now 8 months post TKR. Try to avoid, though. Not your own knee, no matter how good the quality of the metal one is.

@ellerbracke This is timely for me as my one has been hurting me for weeks ,had x,Ray's waiting for results

Thank you so much for your response. It is indeed challenging for a senior person with a new knee injury to make the "right" treatment decision.

@rbon1 : I wanted to add one more comment. My brother also had a meniscus tear and some inflammation on the bones in his knee. TKR was brought up, he declined. Went to work with a physical therapist who specializes in sports injuries, and added acupuncture sessions with a practitioner of traditional chinese medicine. I took 6 months of treatments and exercises, but now his knee is perfectly fine (confirmed by X-rays and MRI).

Thank you so much for sharing your experience and that of your brother.

@ellerbracke Thanks for information on your brother I think I'm going to look into this Turned out xray showed just arthritis but pain goes down leg also

@lioness “just” arthritis can be pretty limiting, depending on your lifestyle. I was not (yet) bone on bone, but I had to 1-step every time I faced stairs, and it hurt every time I walked for exercise, or got up out of a chair, or a car, and the tipping point for me was when I went on a very gently hike with one of my grandsons and his family and simply could not handle a slight downhill without hanging on to shrubs, trees, someone’s arm.......or I would have to have backed down the trail. That was after the arthroscopic surgery, and before I heard about stem cells. So TKR it was.
Regarding my brother, contrary to what I expected (he lives in a small city in Austria), there is a whole lot of un-traditional, experimental, holistic treatments available there, much more readily than in my adopted home (40 yrs. +) in SC. Not sure where you are located, but perhaps you also have more options, or at least, you know to ask about alternatives, which I did not (and you may already know anyway without my 2 cents.)