Just wondering has anyone had any experience with medial menicus tears ? Did you go the conservative or operative route. What was the post-op like ? How soon back to work ? Any complications ? Did PT help ? Would you make the same chioce again ?
I went the "conservative" route-- no surgery.
I'd say the PT is more important than the surgery, but then I may never bother with the operation so I'll never know for sure.
You could take a look at these two studies and talk about it with your surgeon (who may see solutions in terms of surgery):
Knee Surgery - Arthroscopy Results No Better than Pretend Surgery
Surgery for Knee Arthritis, Meniscus, Not Needed To Stop Pain, Restore Function
The Fitness Fixer™ INDEX
You could also read the posts & discussions at
Knee1.com - Forums , although these are not for the queasy or faint of heart.
Admittedly the studies were on small groups and it's difficult to carry out additional studies, but you would expect even a small sample of surgery to have a more positive benefit. Cynics have claimed that if we put every American knee through an MRI then orthopedic surgeons would have lifetime employment.
Unless your cartilage is audibly grinding around and disturbing conversation with friends & family, or unless you no longer have full range of motion, then it might be better to just do the physical therapy. It should be done as followup to the surgery in any case, and your quads/hamstrings atrophy quickly so some patients start the PT before the surgery. The first six weeks are the most difficult but mobility returns quickly. The best part of the PT is showing you how to hold & move your knee (alignment & tracking) to avoid the stresses that could have caused the problem in the first place. Full strength & recovery (deep squats, full lunges, jogging) may take most of a year.
I've spoken with a dozen or so people, active and not-so-much, who say the surgery was no big deal. Crutches for a week or two, usually less. Back to work in a couple days (depending on the physical nature of the job). Physical therapy was essential and went well. Most of them feel that their knees are "different", whether that's tighter or weaker, and one of them will no longer jog because it doesn't "feel" right, but she's still mobile enough for taekwondo. I think Deserat and Cb, who've both had extensive knee surgery, are fully mobile.
In my case, the prospect of surgery (both knees) felt like "surrendering myself to the medical authorities". I wasn't really happy with either orthopedic surgeon I spoke with, they belittled the contrary info, and they generally wanted to get on with it or get away from me. By contrast the physical therapist was agnostic on the surgery but full-tilt on the mechanics and conditioning. I'll never go one-on-one with Magic Johnson or compete in the giant slalom but I'm able to surf, spar taekwondo, jog, and do everything else I want to do.
If you're feeling the same sort of surgery duress, and if there's no bone chips floating around in there to cause additional damage, then I'd hold off until you've done a few weeks of physical therapy.
There are also many many medications to cope with swelling & stiffness. If one doesn't work, or has side effects or stops working, try another. One surgeon said he has a list of two dozen that he just works through (on his patients, not himself) until everyone's happy.