<p>I tore my meniscus and the doctor told me this morning that I need to have it scoped. It would be an outpatient procedure, I would have general anesthesia and he said it would be a 20-30 minute procedure. I was very surprised when he told me I would probably want to take a week or two from work in order to promote healing and prevent pain. That seems excessive to me. I am a school nurse and see most children in the clinic for medications, insulin shots, tube feedings, etc., but occassionally get called to a class to check on an injured child. The staff and faculty are really great and I’m sure they would all work with me so that I could mobilize as little as possible. My question is … realistically, how much time would I really need to be out of work? I have 40+ sick days built up, but I hate being out unless absolutely necessary. When I tore my meniscus mid-December, it was extremely painful and swollen and the doctor advised me to stay home until after Christmas. I missed seven days of work. I now feel like I’m taking advantage of my job and I don’t want to be one of those people. </p>
<p>Bottom line: For those of you that have had your knee scoped, how long before you were up and around and back to work?</p>
<p>Well he’s probably going to put you on crutches for at least a couple of weeks. I would think being a school nurse is a fairly active profession and being up and down on crutches all day would not be much fun.</p>
<p>H had the procedure about 30 year ago, shortly after we met. He expected to be up & about right afterward, because he was fairly active and fit at the time he had the procedure. He was VERY wrong. Unlike the football players who seemed to bounce back immediately from such surgeries, it did take him a several weeks before he was up & feeling decent. I’d trust your doc on healing estimate. It’s very important to do the correct rehab to restrengthen so that you can maximize your recovery & listening to your doc is NOT taking advantage.</p>
<p>DH had the surgery two years ago. He scheduled it on a Wednesday so he could stay home on TH, F and weekend. Icing the knee was crucial. He used crutches at work for a week? I can’t remember how long. PT was also very important.</p>
<p>The anesthesia and subsequent painkillers are what knocked him out for the first two days. You’d be doing your work a favor if you take care of yourself first for a fast recovery than rushing back to work.</p>
<p>Fortunately this surgery has come a LONG way in 30 years! Still, everyone I know who has had it in the last year (I know four people) found that the recovery was actually LONGER than what they had been told by their doctors. You have the sick days…take the time off.</p>
<p>As an aside, I had knee pain about 4 years ago…felt like a toothache in my knee…had an MRI, torn Meniscus was the DX, and surgery suggested. BUT oddly, my pain went away…just plain gone. Occasionally I get stiff in the knee but really no pain other than that. I called my doc and asked if I really had to have surgery on a knee with no pain…he said NO. I’m sure one of these days it will act up again…but it’s been almost four years with no pain.</p>
<p>DH had the procedure 2 years ago. He scheduled the procedure on a Friday so he would not miss any work time. The procedure, including prep for surgery, anesthesia and “recovery” took about a couple of hours. You will need a designated driver to take you home and someone has to watch you for the next 24 hours - an SOP after any anesthesia. DH did not need crutches. I was his crutch, so to speak. He managed to get up and down the stairs with my help. After spending the weekend on the couch with his knee iced and elevated, H went to work ( we had a little fight over it, but he won). Again, no crutches. His surgeon said that H could use the leg to support his body as long as there were no bending or lateral moves or twists. H’s procedure was in the summer, so he wore shorts for a week so the exposed bandages would remind him to not to use the knee. 2 weeks after the surgery, H flew to an out of state meeting. :eek:</p>
<p>thumper, some meniscal tears can heal if the tear happens in the part of the meniscus with blood supply. You were lucky. Most don’t because the majority of the cartilage does not have blood vessels.</p>
<p>I would say to take a week off. If you want a 2nd opinion, I have a fantastic knee guy in our area. I had a more major knee surgery (still out-patient) in 2007 and stayed home a week. I had to be completely non-weight bearing for 6 weeks and had a brace, too. </p>
<p>Get a second opinion. Not all meniscus tears need surgery and it’s bread and butter for the orthopedic surgeon. Alternatively, ask him why this one needs surgery and when would he/she recommend not having surgery. It may need it, but it may get better with PT. Studies have been done showing that surgery increases arthritis and chance for knee
replacement.</p>
<p>SplashMom, ask the outpatient surgery center for their infection rates. You will be surprised how high these are at some hospitals. As a school nurse, you are probably well aware of how dangerous staph infections of surgical sites can be.</p>
<p>I’d be more concerned about blood clots than staph. Based on what you posted a few weeks ago about your knee, you seem to be moving quickly to surgery. These ortho guys really only make money from surgery. Generally a torn miniscus is completely removed, not repaired, which leads to an increase in arthritis. Cartilage and miniscus are not the same thing. Pretty much what #8 is saying.</p>
<p>The arthritis ass. website has a good review of studies that have been done on this knee surgery and outcomes.</p>
<p>Concerning your question about recovery time - take as much as you can.</p>
<p>It depends. If the doctor is able to sew the tear, it will take quite a while to heal. It may just have to be cut out, less than ideal, but the recovery time is much shorter. They probably won’t know for sure until they look in there. My daughter’s tear was cut out, and she was running around in no time, but of course she’s 18.</p>
<p>Surgery does not mean removal of the entire meniscus. Sometimes, just the debris caused by the tear need to be cleaned up. The link above has lots of useful info, as well as this page from UW Ortho Center:</p>
<p>If I were you, SplashMom, I’d take time off after the surgery. I fought with hubby about him going back to work, but he is such a workaholic (e.g., he went to work the day after appendectomy). He was also encouraged by his doctor to do resume normal activities as soon as possible. Please listen to your doctor’s advice and if not comfortable with it, get a second opinion. Your doctors know you better than your CC buddies wide majority of whom are not qualified to treat meniscus tears.</p>
<p>Don’t count on being up and about. Last year I had a hairline fracture of my tibia and the MRI showed a lot of fluid actually inside the bone (did not know that was possible) and around soft tissue. I was in absolute agony for a couple of weeks. I required pain medication until anti-inflammatory drugs reduced some swelling. I was in a huge amount of pain even laying down before I saw a doctor! I needed 2 weeks of minimal walking, and allowing the leg to be elevated. PT really helped too and I continued with some exercises at home. I was using a cane to get around for at least 3 weeks and getting in and out of the car and negotiating the ice on the ground (last winter in the NE) was very difficult. I also needed to buy certain shoes and orthotics (this also really helped).</p>
<p>BunsenBurner - I’m not suggesting that she doesn’t need surgery. I’m just asking that she approach the recommendation of surgery, like we all should with any surgery, with a healthy dose of scepticism. My husband had a scope due to a meniscus and found that surgery helped little, but knee exercises helped a lot. Why do surgery before PT?</p>
<p>Last year I had three tears and some shredding beneath my kneecap. I also had a bakers cyst. I tried PT first which did not fix my problem. I went in for surgery at 6 am and I was back home before noon. I took my painkillers and iced/elevated my knee. I was on my feet and walking that night. I believe that my recovery went so quickly because I took the time to take care of my knee. I iced it and did my PT as directed. I also took the week off because I could. Everyone can have a different experience and this was mine. Good luck with your surgery.</p>
<p>My H had this surgery about 5 years ago. He was off the day of the surgery and returned to work the next day. No crutches. He walked out of the hospital and I drove him home. His running and squash were restricted for a while but, other than that, he didn’t need any time off and he was out walking the dogs that weekend (three days later).</p>
<p>ish…I had a meniscus tear a few years ago. The surgery was great and improved the pain considerably. I was down for the count for about about a week. However…I still have pain in the meniscus area. I work out daily by riding a recumbent bike but fast walking or elliptical is painful. It all depends on where the tear is located and the severity, the surgeon and fitness. Wishing you much comfort and good luck. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Good luck!</p>
<p>I had this surgery earlier this year. I was off crutches in 5 days, my surgeon is a good friend and he checked up on me in and out of the office, unfortunately I had a bad fall off an icy terrace 2 weeks after surgery (my own stupidity) and re-tore the meniscus. I’ve postponed surgery with cortisone and synvisc shots but time is running out. My Dr. and H say this time when I have the surgery I will be off my feet except for therapy way longer. I am waiting for paddle tennis season to end and I will schedule the surgery.</p>
<p>BunsenBurner, I agree! I think it’s clear from the anecdotal stories here that this surgery can mean different things to different patients. My H is extremely fit and I’m sure that made a difference in the ease of recovery.</p>
Most don’t because the majority of the cartilage does not have blood vessels.</p>