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I knee’d some advice.

65 Comments

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If you’ve followed my blog for a while, you know I blew my knee out in 2020. After staining our back deck on my hands and knees, I walked down a step and bam… it felt like a rubber band snapped. Excruciating pain made me scream and it’s been a five year nightmare ever since.

The diagnosis was a deep root radial meniscus tear (the kind that never heals) and damage to my ACL.

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Swollen? Just a bit.

😳

I saw a doctor. Who gave me an X-ray and sent me to an orthopedist. Who scheduled an MRI.

After reading the MRI the orthopedist told me, and I quote..

“It will either heal or it won’t” (which was very helpful, Not!) shot me full of cortisone and sent me on my way.

I iced, I elevated, I compressed and after a while my pain dropped to a manageable level. Never gone, but I sucked it up and carried on. I tried to stay active though there were times my knee screamed uncle.

In early 2023 the pain was becoming a problem again so I saw another doctor, who sent me to another orthopedist, who shot me full of more cortisone and scheduled 8 weeks of physical therapy.

The deep tissue massage felt great, the exercises helped stretch a tendon which had shrunk a bit from inactivity, but it didn’t address the underlying problem.

By late 2023 I still had considerable pain and decided to try acupuncture.

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It immediately reduced the swelling and dropped my pain level back to manageable. But it’s not covered by insurance and gets expensive quite quickly, so I took a few months of treatments and called it good.

2024 saw good knee days and bad knee days… with me never knowing what triggered increased pain.

By 2025 I had given up the treadmill, push mowing the lawn and started dreading stairs. At this point walking down a flight took twice as long as it should and made me feel 100 years old. Swelling had returned and I experienced serious stiffness whenever I got up after sitting. I moaned, I groaned, I limped.

Which sent me back to acupuncture a few months ago. Again, the swelling was quickly reduced, the stiffness was gone and pain returned to a manageable level.

But then, I went to sleep.

In case you were wondering? Yes… it’s entirely possible to tweak a torn meniscus when rolling over in bed because I did it and woke up gasping in pain.

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Now I can’t bend my knee without cringing. Walking hurts. Sleeping hurts. Stairs? No can do. So I made another appointment with my doctor who will no doubt send me to another orthopedist and I’m guessing the knee replacement surgery I’ve been dreading is in my future.

Has anyone out there had it?

And if so, what was your experience?

If you have any advice or suggestions… I think I’m ready to listen.

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65 thoughts on “I knee’d some advice.”

  1. Haven’t had that specific issue but have that exact meme saved somewhere!!

    Cortisone shots did literally nothing for my knees (but my back loved them).

    Check the online ratings for any referrals. Also, I recently learned that my primary LOVES when I do the doc research first and come in with referral suggestions (she doesn’t know the people and just picks whatever).

    I highly recommend a “soft brace” – I ❤️ this one from amazon (https://a.co/d/3mmC6ye). But cut out the middle strap (or strap it to one of the others) so you can move a little more easily. I found it comfy enough to wear in bed.

    A brace with a knee stabalizer sounds better, but they aren’t. If docs can’t provide SOLUTIONS, ask for a custom brace!!

    Also ask about the new knee pain block/ablation being advertised on tv.

    Last week, my sr PT therapist tried some wacky new moves (pulled my calf muscle toward my feet?) and the sore spot I’ve had since Jul, that my surgeon kept blowing off, appears to be CURED! My daily pain level of 7 is now 0!! I hope you get the same success!

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    1. Referrals… check.
      I did have a soft brace like that and wore it when I mowed the lawn or went hiking, but it doesn’t seem to help now.
      And I wish the physical therapy had helped more, but it really didn’t. Glad yours managed to get of the pain. That’s great!

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      3. It helped a little. It was awhile ago as my doc told me it was going to get worse. This was over 2 years ago. I can go back but I mostly watch Youtube Videos now and try to strengthen it on my own.

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      6. Ahhh… there were days when I literally couldn’t stand w/o one and a cane. My home is still a disaster from years of pain – the pain is reduced but my energy and will haven’t recovered (she says while sitting in bed at 1pm)

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  2. Me again… I just read what a Radial Miniscus Tear is and duuudette… I had zero miniscus/cartilage in either knee for a couple decades before getting my first replacement. Your tear makes you high risk for getting there too. BE AGGRESSIVE about researching your options and getting effective treatment.

    BioFreeze, TigerBalm Arthritis Lotion, and stuff like that are GUIUUD. Brace = VERY GOOD. Voltaren might help! (I’m allergic)

    All that said, I eventually reached a point where I accepted the pain, adapted, and didn’t really notice (I still reacted, sometimes screaming, bug it just became part of my day).

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    1. I’ve tried BioFreeze, Tiger Balm, Voltarin and every other pain cream I could find. Nothing works. And yes, the pain has been with me for years. I’ve been grinning and bearing it but it’s got to the point where my quality of life is suffering. I’m sedentary, and I hate that.

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      1. Voltarin works for me. I also take advil. When I was still teaching the last year, I took lots of advil as I was on my feet constantly. Not good. Now, that I am retired, I take 2 at the most a day. It works. Mine is also connected to arthritis which can be very painful. I am still waiting to hear more if it is bone on bone.

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      5. I think it will be a slow journey if I need a replacement once day because I have been told lots of other things are tried before going this route, so we shall see. I would definitely recommend water aerobics if there is an indoor pool or Y near you. This helped the most.

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      6. I’m naturally sedentary but having it be mandatory, instead of my laziness, and missing events that I wanted to attend, is what drove me to surgery.

        Any discussion about trying SynVisc synthetic cartilage? It’s provided a lot of relief for my remaining natural knee, but I don’t know if they can use it when you still have uour miniscus.

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  3. I have a chronic condition with one knee that requires a compression brace but the pain is manageable if I remember to put the brace on. I know two friends/family members who have had knee surgery. Both waited until it was absolutely the only answer left, both followed recovery instructions and exercise plans to the letter. Both healed according to plan and both are fairly mobile now, but with some limitations.

    However you proceed, I wish you well.

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  4. When I ruptured my acl, I was told many people “my age” do fine without surgery, and that surgery is a big deal and shouldn’t be entered into lightly. That surgeon was right. So I guess my advice is like that of the elves.
    I don’t know what would have happened if I’d not gotten acl replacement (not total knee, but I’m told even harder to recover from). I do know surgery was Very Hard to recover from, even with PT at the time, then a later injury to the same knee then more pt then chiropractic and more pt. My knee has been worse lately because of my thyroid – everything makes it worse. Online support groups say that after ACL surgery you have to keep exercising and keep the muscle built for the rest of your life.
    That being said, I think I’m starting to rebuild muscle finally and sometimes have days when there is no swelling. Like, three days. And it’s been two years. So, ACL surgery is hard.
    But, you already are facing hardships.
    I hear total knee replacement in easier – the new parts are plonked down like a hunk of concrete (My pt’s words) whereas ACL needs all kinds of graft reattachment and acceptance. Seems counter intuitive to me.
    There is my wisdom of the elves. Bad this way, bad that way.

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      2. Unlike Shelly, I found my knee replacement recovery to be much easier than expected. Even my residual pain spot, which just got fixed, was lightyears better than my pre-surgery pain. I think that’s the best recovery comment that I read – “no worse than the pre surgery pain.” But it’s damn inconvenient and annoying!

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  6. My husband had a total knee replacement two months ago and is planning to get the second one asap. It’s an extremely painful and difficult recovery BUT the surgeon says that 95% of patients are thrilled they had the surgery after one year. It’s a full year recovery. It’s a mental process too. Honestly, if he didn’t have me, I’m not sure how he’d be getting through it. How well do you like your husband? If you can count on him for real support, that will help a lot.
    Side note: my husband was able to go up and down the stairs once per day, starting the very first day. They teach you how to do it with crutches in the hospital. And it was day surgery!

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    1. Day surgery and stairs on day one? Wow.
      How long was it before he was able to hobble around and care for himself? I love my husband and he means well, but hands on nursing is not his strong suit.

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      1. It’s more the mental/moral support that you will need from him. You will be sitting in a chair with your leg elevated and on ice for many, many, many hours. I think I had to do everything for my husband (make all the food; get the ice set up, drive him to all appointments, etc) for about 4 weeks. Once he could drive, it was easier. Another good thing: physical therapy comes to your house for the first two weeks and they are fantastically supportive! They do all the gross stuff for you too (remove staples, change bandages…)

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      5. I recovered completely on my own, including letting cats in/out all day long (which helped because I would have otherwise never moved). If I hadn’t had a complication, I also would have been home and going up/down steps the same day. It really depends on your pain tolerance and mental attitude.

        Similarly, I had a lateral release & patella reshape 30 yrs ago and was doing stairs the same day.

        Driving is a major consideration. I’m glad that I did the L knee first. I was driving at about 1 week.

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      7. Obviously, everyone is different, but the only point where I had any emotional regret was when it got super cold out AND the pain spot got REALLY bad. But my pain spot was not a common thing.

        That said, def plan around the weather too. I’d shoot for some nice springtime temps. I was recovering while it was 100° outside, without a/c!! Cold weather sounds good, but it’s not! The parts don’t like getting super cold (for me, that was temps in the 50s and below).

        My pain tolerance is very high and my knee was the 4th major surgery that I’ve recovered from alone. It now feels so good that I’m trying to decide when to do the other (I have plans in Apr & May; June is hot again).

        While I know I still can’t “pop up” for surfing (my stretch goal), I might finally try SUP.

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  7. Ugh. I have knee problems but nothing debilitating…yet. So I can’t offer any advice and, frankly, the other replies here fill me with some dread. I wish you relief in the most expeditious way possible.

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  8. No new knees for me, but yes for my friends and patients. In general, recovery from TKA (Total Knee Arthroplasty) is more painful than THA (Total Hip), partly because a hip needs to be rested for a while and a knee needs to start moving immediately. (Even more fun is to have both knees done at once.)

    Most people are happy with their new knees. That is not true for everyone. I know someone who suffered for years and is now resigned to a stiff artificial knee.

    A surgeon friend says “There is no problem I can’t make worse with surgery.” Yet he has done thousands of successful surgeries. I have a broken bone that will likely remain broken for the rest of my life. My surgeon says he can’t guarantee surgery will relieve my symptoms, nor that it won’t make it worse.

    There are surgeons who love to cut, and those who won’t without good reason. If yours is the latter type, I’d strongly consider the surgery. The hard part is that it is up to you. No one else can give you a definitive answer.

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      1. As Smokey Robinson said, “My mama told me ‘you’d better shop around.’” Some surgeons are like some contractors – good with their hands, but not with people. They do fine when the patient is unconscious or the homeowner not home. In either case, I want one with both technical and communication skills.

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  11. I am not a medical specialist in any way but I do know sports doctors fix torn ACLs all the time with great success. Maybe the stars don’t have that deep-root thing but I would try to see one anyways. Gail had knee replacenent surgery in 2023, after years of pain. It took a long time to heal, and you will be a burden on hubby fot months, but it was well worth it.

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  12. I have pain in my right knee. It began in my right hip. I have tried most of the same ointments you have and also acupuncture, which was covered and now not. I have trouble getting up stairs. Right now I go to a health club. I find that cycling inside on the machine and water aerobics help. I was on my feet for many years as a teacher and a heavy walker everywhere! I find that exercising it helps especially the water aerobics. After exercise, it can be increasingly painful but the next day is good. I believe the doc said it is degenerative, so I have to keep on watching it. It does hurt when you like to be active especially with gardening. I walk with a limp sometimes and the orthopedic doc gave me inserts also which help as one side is a little shorter.

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  14. I had my full knee replacement on Jul 1. I was 80% recovered as of Sep/Oct and, as of a week ago, I consider myself 98% recovered (and a billion times more mobile than the last 10+ years). I was doing squats on a balance board last night! I couldn’t squat on solid ground for the last… forever. That last 2% is crawling on my knees, which comes up enough that it’s figuring into when I’ll get the other knee done.

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  15. I’m sorry for all your pain. In 2018 I fell skiing in Utah. I couldn’t make it down the mountain. My knee stopped working. I planted my skis in an X and a ski instructor stopped and called the toboggan brigade. A few months later, after having PT first to get stronger, I had my meniscus repaired and my ACL replaced. I’m not as good as new. My knee will never be the same, but I can walk and hike without pain — except for the ankle I broke in May and my foot surgery I had last week 😉 Have you looked into a new ACL? My meniscus was able to be sewed up which I don’t think is that common.

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