<p>Meniscal tears both knees, arthroscopic surgeries a year apart at outpatient clinic. Mid 50s at that time around 2009/10.PT before surgery and after. Day of surgery and thereafter didnt need crutches , but used a roller chair around the house to minimize walking. Ice helped. Couple days off work or over weekend…went back monday with a limp, used cloth knee brace to stabilize knee…Easy recovery and good long term results…if I torque my knee by accident it hurts but otherwise all good.
Best of luck!</p>
<p>I had medial meniscus surgery on my right knee last September. As others have said the procedure itself only takes 30-45 minutes and you are in and out in 2-3- hours. I didn’t need crutches and only missed 3 days of work. No mandatory PT, only a few simple exercises you could do at home. My ortho gave me a DVD of my procedure. As with most meniscus surgeries, my procedure involved removing the torn material and shaving down loose pieces of the remaining meniscus so nothing else will get caught in the joint. AFAIK most of these procedures just remove the damaged material and do not “replace” it with anything.</p>
<p>I have also had rotator cuff surgeries on both shoulders - compared to the shoulders, meniscus surgery has a very easy recovery! Good luck! </p>
<p>I had a good orthopedic doc recommend meniscus removal about 6 years ago when I created a tear by working in a squatting position for extended periods of time (diagnosed by MRI). I decided I’d think about it, and noticed that the knee pain was slowly improving, so I continued to postpone it. Basically it stopped bothering me (it was only pain, not “locking up”.</p>
<p>Since then, more recently, I’ve had some mild aching at night. Possibly that is related to less physical activity and some weight gain, and possibly just advancing age.</p>
<p>I think a lot of this is individual and depends on the nature of the damage, which is infinitely variable. Good luck. </p>
<p>You are smart to see someone while all you have is a torn meniscus.
I kept telling myself that it would get better and while I was going to see a PT, I thought I perhaps wasnt doing the exercises enough. Finally I went to an ortho and as it was bone on bone and I could no longer make it around the block even with a cane, my only option was a TKR ( total knee replacement). Which I had almost a year ago at 55.</p>
<p>My ortho asked about my lifestyle after diagnosing my torn meniscus. Since I’m very active he said that “cleaning it up” was the way to go and scheduled the surgery. He said that if I didn’t need full use of the knee he would have recommended just going with PT and Advil.</p>
<p>Surgery and recovery went very well – as others have mentioned. My doctor had me join a gym and gave me a schedule to follow on the gym’s cardio machines to speed healing and I was back hiking in a few weeks.</p>
<p>This might save someone time & money.
<a href=“Knee Surgery Ineffective for Many Cases of Torn Cartilage | Dr. Albert Fuchs – Health News”>Knee Surgery Ineffective for Many Cases of Torn Cartilage | Dr. Albert Fuchs – Health News;