Meniscus Surgery

Thursday I had my third and hopefully last knee surgery.

Trying to wake up in recovery

It all began in February of this year, when I started having knee problems. After visits to the high school trainer, chiropractor and my PT, I was sent to see an orthopedic.

X-rays showed the remnants of my old knee injuries, screws, staples, and some arthritis, but it wasn't enough to explain the painful clicking and clacking that I was experiencing.

Eventually a MRI confirmed that I had a longitudinal tear in my meniscus. Since then I have been getting cortisone shots every couple of months and running/working out relatively knee pain free.

Sadly, the instability and weakness in the left knee caused me to have a lot of other problems: in my calf and some tendinitis in my TFL. All three of the doctors felt that the torn meniscus was the root of my other injuries and the only solution was to get in there and clean it up.

My surgery was over in about 45 minutes. Dr. O performed a partial meniscectomy, chondroplasty of the femoral trochlea, and removed loose bodies. Sounds bad, but compared to my previous ACL surgeries it feels very minor.

I have been restricted to some simple leg exercises:

quadriceps contractions
straight leg raises
ankle pumps
heel slides

Starting on Monday and for the next few weeks, I will be rehabbing with Dr. Bri to get my full range of motion and strength back.

Have you had an injury that required surgery?
How did it go?