# Knee surgery yesterday



## nemhed (May 2, 2010)

As the title says I had arthroscopic knee surgery yesterday afternoon and at this point I'm feeling really positive about it.
This was actually the second surgery I've had on my right knee; 13 years ago I had ACL reconstruction on it. I've never really felt that my knee returned to 100% status after that but I had learned to live with it. 
This past spring I had an awkward fall in which I dislocated this knee and actually had a non-displaced tibial plateau fracture. So my original ortho doc ordered an MRI, had me fitted for a hinged brace, and started me on rehab. I was worried that I had re-torn my ACL, which turned out not to be the case. I did have a meniscus tear. After the pain and swelling subsided I resumed normal activities including my daily 22 mile round trip commute. I continued to have issues with my knee though including some annoying clunky-ness and occasions when something would "catch" inside my knee. My original doc had very little to say about this and really never gave me her opinion on the cause of my problems or if surgery would help. She basically said if it wasn't causing me any pain then I should just live with it. So I got a referral to another surgeon. I learned more from him in two minutes of my first appointment than the 3 appointments with the other doc. He had me continue aggressive rehab for 4 more week after which I saw no improvement. So surgery was scheduled. As it turned out, he trimmed my torn meniscus, cleaned up some medial plica issues and removed what he called a "cyclops" lesion from my ACL. He told me this lesion was most likely the main source of my problems.
So I'm feeling really positive about my recovery and starting rehab, and of course getting back on my bike. The lesson to be learned here is that it pays to get a second opinion!
If you made it this far, thanks for reading my rambling post, I am still hopped up on hydrocodone:thumbsup:


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## SundayRiverRider (Oct 29, 2008)

Heal up. You'll be on the bike real soon. 

I just re-tore my rebuilt ACL again last winter. I've had most of my meniscus removed and have pretty bad arthritis in my knee. Surprisingly, riding doesn't bother it 99% of the time. However, I can no longer snowboard, golf, do a lot of things I like to do because of the instability in my knee. I have some bone on bone issues that can't be surgically repaired so I've been recommended to have a total knee replacement. I'm not looking forward to that. I just turned 45, but playing sports has taken a wicked bad toll on my knee and there is nothing left to save it. The doc tried to clean it out as best he could this past spring and there was just nothing he could do to fix it. I also have some" catching" going on inside the knee which is the most painful. Anyways, sorry for the ramble. 

Just get back on the stationary bike as soon as you can and you'll be out on your real bike in no time. Let us know when you get back out there!


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## nemhed (May 2, 2010)

SRR, they're really doing great things with knee replacement nowadays so good luck! Don't put it off too long.
I got my dressing off and stitches removed today, Doc was very pleased with how little swelling I had. He gave me a full explanation of the work he did with pictures. I think i got my money's worth. Rehab starts tomorrow!


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## Eckstream1 (Jul 27, 2011)

How's the rehab going?
I've been through multiple knee surgeries so I feel your pain...
Also had the non-displaced tibial plateau fracture... Mine took almost a full year to heal!


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## nemhed (May 2, 2010)

Rehab has been going pretty good. 3 weeks post surgery and I road my bike (gently) about 7 miles yesterday. Those pictures are painful to look at!


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## Eckstream1 (Jul 27, 2011)

Good to hear!
Keep at the PT... It really pays off!


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## curly1 (Aug 23, 2012)

I've been living with knee issues for twenty years, I'm so happy to have biking, it allows me to stay active and be competitive in something that doesnt hurt my knee. Good luck to you all, knee pain sucks.


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## SundayRiverRider (Oct 29, 2008)

nemhed said:


> Rehab has been going good pretty. 3 weeks post surgery and I road my bike (gently) about 7 miles yesterday. Those pictures are painful to look at!


Cool, ease back in for a few weeks and then don't look back, just keep em' turning!


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## zk6760 (Oct 8, 2012)

I'm 24 and about 7 months ago tore my ACL completely, MCL completely, and my meniscus on each side. Additionally I had a 30mm piece of cartilage fall off, which they removed. 

All of these knee stories are really dulling my hopes and dreams lol. I've been biking for about 2-3 months now and it is the best therapy for my knee yet.


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## hcarreathers (Jun 22, 2009)

Hey guys! I just had my third ACL replaced. This one in my right knee. It feels like the best of them all right now. I'm really looking forward to getting back on the bike and seeing how it feels. Right now, laying on the couch with this CPM machine is about to drive me nuts!!


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## skinewmexico (Apr 6, 2010)

Sitting here thinking about this pain on the inside of my knee, that just won't go away.


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## zk6760 (Oct 8, 2012)

Your pain could just be inflammation, not necessarily a torn tendon. Go have it looked at - you don't want to F around with knees.


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## skinewmexico (Apr 6, 2010)

Trying to get into a good doc. Been fighting it for a couple of years. It gets better, then I spend too much time going into the wind, or get hung up in a pedal while crashing, or carry too heavy of an ice chest. You're right though, nothing to F around with. Too much of the rest of my (recreational) life depends on my knees.


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## zk6760 (Oct 8, 2012)

Yeah man - does it slip at all? You would definitely know - basically when you put pressure on the knee it doesn't hold in place and you hear some noise and the upper and lower kneecap sort of squirm around for a second. If you have that - then something is torn. If not - you may just need some heat/ice/rehab - I hope this is your case.

I was on crutches for 9 weeks and my life will never be the same again. I'm now almost 9 months post surgery and every day I still hobble out of bed for a few minutes. I still can't run properly and I limp for a bit after any amount of exercise/activity. I can't hike or walk all too far yet either (biggest hike I did was 7 miles this summer and it was really really tough). Being an insanely active person this not only was crushing, but gave me spirit to fight, train, and get back out there to the best of my abilities. It also showed me how quickly life can change and take away the things you take for granted on a daily basis.

I'm only 25.

Just finished my first season of MTBing uninjured! Time to go back to the snow where it all began.


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## tedlove (Jun 23, 2011)

zk - I feel your pain man. I had a type II tibial plateau fracture in mid-June and surgery a week after... and the whole ordeal has left me feeling blessed in some respects (for being able to be so healthy up till that point - age 28), but also feeling utterly dejected in others.

Sounds like you had a pretty traumatic injury, but I'm sure that as you continue to recover, you'll feel better about it.


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## zk6760 (Oct 8, 2012)

Definitely do. I can now "jog" up the stairs - which was a huge discovery for me about 3 weeks ago (lol). Each day I can do something new is a blessing and I'm excited to get back on the snowboard this winter.

Injuries are lame - they wouldn't even give me robotic legs!


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## irishpitbull (Sep 29, 2011)

zk6760 I hope you recovery is speedy and you get back to 100% soon.

I'm heading into the doctor for a MRI on my knee. It feels like I have rocks in my knee joint that are getting crushed after about 30 miles or so. I hate it.


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## zk6760 (Oct 8, 2012)

Thank you and good luck to yourself. When I saw the specialist doc he didn't even order an MRI. He yanked on my knee and said "yep your ACL is torn". When I saw the surgeon he did the same thing and goes "you also tore your MCL". Then when they got into surgery they also noticed I tore my meniscus on each side and fractured off a piece of cartilage about 30mm long. Two screws, one anchor, and about 5 hours later I woke up.

I hope you don't require surgery, but it is good that you are taking care of it. Best of luck!


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## nemhed (May 2, 2010)

Good luck to all of you who have posted with your own knee issues. Almost 9 weeks after my surgery I'm back to riding my 22 mile round trip commute to work. It sucks starting over again but it's better than the alternatives.
I'm not one to quickly seek medical interventions but I will say that if you're having knee problems and a serious attempt at physical therapy hasn't improved things then find a good orthopedic surgeon and get it fixed. Better sooner than later. Putting it off will just make things worse and make the recovery time that much longer when you do get it fixed.


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