07 Jun
Knee Update
Someone reminded me that I never updated you on my knee. I had an MRI a few weeks ago, and a week later went in to find out the results. Originally the doctor suspected a stress fracture, but it turns out that I have a small tear in my right meniscus.
My options presented by the doctor are taking anti-inflammatories, going through some physical therapy, and if it comes to it, a short outpatient surgery.
I went for a run a few days ago and I still can’t go much more than a mile without pain. It’s really frustrating.
I have a physical therapy appointment scheduled in Washington and I’m hoping that will get me running again. In the meantime I plan on doing lots of yoga from a DVD and using the elliptical machine my parents have in their living room. I hope to avoid the surgery, but if I see no improvement in a few months I’m going to consider it. I feel like I’ve had a lot if surgeries, but every time I do I walk away feeling like it was a good decision.
A few pictures from the past few days just for fun:
His little legs are always coated in crumbs after he eats kale chips in the high chair.
We boarded our plane on the tarmac because it was so small.
We have to share a room at my sister’s place. I am not a fan.
Also:
I'm a farm-raised almost-crunchy stroller-pushing picture-taking lifestyle-blog-writing gastronomy-obsessed divine-seeking thrift-store-combing cheese-inhaling pavement-pounding laughter-sprinkling lover of individuality and taking chances.
Good choice starting with PT. I hope my kind can help out although it definitely won’t be a quick fix.
1The majority of people in this world have small tears in their menisci that they don’t know about. I have severe knee problems too. I also have a small tear in my meniscus, but beyond that I have crooked bones in my knees (seriously, they told me those bones developed wrong), so that is what causes my pain when I run. The physical therapist has me strengthening my leg muscles to compensate for my knees. I’ve been doing this since December. There isn’t any surgery they can do for my small meniscule tears. And the surgery that they could do to fix my bones isn’t guaranteed to work. They have never seen anything like it before apparently. Anyway, don’t expect a quick fix with PT. It takes a long time to get better. Probably several months to a year. I wouldn’t rush to surgery right away without getting a second opinion. Knee surgery is a big deal. And then you won’t be able to walk for awhile. Wouldn’t you rather deal with some pain and still be able to move around than be on bedrest for weeks?
2Oh my… I’m glad I read the words about the kale chips rather than just scrolling through because on my first glance I thought it was a blow-out. Eeew.
Thanks for updating us on your knee. After hearing you had a definitive response from a doctor, I decided to pursue my knee problem a further. PT did not help my knee but instead made it worse so I’m seeing an Orthopedic doc tomorrow. Hope the PT works for you!
My advice is to be very clear with them on your expectations from the start. Tell them if you are only there for a few appointments or not (my place wasted so much time and wanted me to come back for months) and ask for exercises you can do at home.
3I hope the anti-inflammatories and Physical Therapy do the trick! Surgery is never a fun option. Sharing a room with baby does not sound like an awesome time. At least it won’t last long.
4Oh no! So sorry to hear that, you were on such a roll! I’ll echo the other commenters, surgery is a big deal and no fun. Hopefully PT helps, and doing yoga & pilates is a great approach. Your buns need strengthening to help your knees out.
5I JUST got back from the physical therapist - and I have a tear in my LEFT meniscus! Same diagnosis. I’m loving taking time to let it heel. It’s already feeling so much better as I’ve finally stopped trying to “run through the pain.” Good luck with your knee.
6As a followup to Sarah for Real, any good therapist will ask you what your expectations and goals are at the first visit, and will give you home exercises without you asking - I’d be worried if they didn’t (especially about asking you about your goals).
Sophia Reply:
June 7th, 2011 at 10:37 pm
I was thinking the same thing. I know a few people who are PT’s and their number one complaint is that their patients don’t do the at home exercises, or follow their directions, and it impedes the patients’ progress. As a result, I had always assumed that at home exercises were the cornerstone of PT.
my 2 cents…i had a tear as well and did pt for a few months and maintained at home for 2 yrs. it never felt right. i had surgery to help plus the tear could lead to arthritis in the short term. anyway, surgery sucked, healing sucked but 3 yrs later i feel normal and wish i didnt wait so long. maybe consider it? ps - i have a 3 week old, dont mind the short hand typing! love your blog
8I’ve spent the past 6 months dealing with knee issues (a torn ACL from a ski accident 2 years ago which was never properly diagnosed or fixed) and then this January a torn Meniscus (another ski mishap). A good orthopedist is key, and I approached mine with the attitude of “surgery as a last option.” She prescribed intensive PT, which was amazing.
PT is a ton of work, at home and at their office but it works! I loved feeling as though I had the skills and the ability to heal myself; it was a very empowering experience. BUT, it takes work and determination, and with knees, if I ever have any further problems (i.e. another tear or lots of pain), surgery it will be. I’ve mitigated that however, with the help of a very good PT. Find one that fits you, your personality and your long-term goals, and you will really see progress.
9I had my torn meniscus repaired in October of 2004, and was running again by late November. I tried pt, but unfortunately I’m tough on my body in a variety of sports, and getting it surgically repaired was my better option. My surgery was outpatient, and I was walking the same day. If you decide to go that route, good luck (but for your sake, I hope you don’t)
10Oh man - knee injuries can be the worst! I hope yours heals quickly for you…
11Just saw this article and thought of you:
http://www.active.com/running/Articles/How-to-Prevent-Knee-Injury-and-Pain.htm?cmp=17-1-759
I was sooooo hoping you just had an IT band issue. Bummer about the meniscus, but I have plenty of running friends who’ve had similar problems. Just don’t increase your mileage by more than 10% in a week again - I did the same thing years ago and paid for it for nearly a year in therapy
The bike is a good substitute to keep similar muscles strong while you heal.
12This is going to be a long comment and I’m sorry for that, but I am injured also and want to share a little of my story with you. We have different injuries, so I’m not implying you should do anything differently - just wanted to give you my story.
I ran a 5K last August and had very sore hips after, one of which recovered and one didn’t. That hip stayed sore every single time I ran and was a nagging pain. At first it was a strong pain, but over time it became less and less (however never went away). I ignored it and kept running, running about 6 5Ks, a 10K (after which I couldn’t walk properly) and a 4.2 mile race from August to January. At the start of the year I started strength training and cross training, hoping it would help the pain and the pain went mostly away. I ran another few 5Ks and another 10K with only a little pain - mostly when running up hill.
Meanwhile, I signed up to run a half marathon in October with a lot of friends (last October actually) and that was my #1 goal of 2011. I decided it was time to take care of this small nagging pain so I could successfully start half training in June. I started physical therapy after talking to my primary doctor in March.
A month of PT and still running once a week, I wasn’t getting any better. I then went to an orthopedist, who said I had a strained tendon in my hip and immediately told me to stop all activity that was not flat biking or swimming. He said I would never recover without stopping all other activity. I’m also on prescription NSAIDS that I take twice a day. He said I have 8-12 weeks before I can even step on an elliptical again, and I will likely be running a 5K in October, rather than the half I am signed up to run.
Obviously you went to the doctor right away, which is awesome and something I didn’t do. If I could go back to last August I would have gone to the orthopedist right away. I would have started physical therapy right away. I would have stopped running right away. I would not have let my strain get worse like I did every.single.time. that I ran.
I tell you this because a nagging pain doesn’t seem like a big deal. It seems like you can run through it. And you can, I certainly did. But when you finally stop to actually deal with the pain, it can turn out to be a major undertaking and put you out of commission for a long time if you make it worse. I am miserable right now, my weight loss has slowed down and I am a ball of stress because I can’t vigorously exercise the way I used to. I cannot even walk on a treadmill with an incline without being in pain.
I really hope that this doesn’t happen to you as well! I applaud you for taking care of it right away and I hope that you follow through with physical therapy and listen to their advice and guidelines on your activity. If only I could go back and do the same thing, I wouldn’t be in this messy boat right now.
13