General Cycling Discussion - Well their I've gone and Ripped it for GOOd

I was wondering if anyone could let me know if my knee injury may be related to cycling. I was at work and my knee locked up three times and i have never felt pain like that trying to unlock it. So i went to the hopsital and they said that i have most likely torn a menicis or menicus (not sure on spelling) it sounds like
MEN-niss-cuss .Basically i was wondering if this has happened to anyone else. Oh yeah just to let you all know. If i can't ride again there is going to be a great deal on a rocky moutain soul 2001

thanks for the help

There is surgury to repair a torn meniscus, and in the right hands it is quite successful.
Ive had keyhole surgery on my knee, and it takes a week or 2 to recover fully.
Try and discover what caused the tear.

While I do not know to much about knee injuries, except that they hurt and the potential causes of them. I do suggest you go see a sports medicine doctor if you have not done so already. As far as I know, unless you crash and hit your knee on something, the only way to sustain a knee inury or problems on a bike is with improper saddle height.

Recommended reading: James Fox, M.D., "Save Your Knees"

The meniscus is the cartilage that acts as a cushion between the bones in your knee. A forceful pounding or twisting can cause it to tear. So can many years of small injuries. (Do you ski, run, hike... ?) If it's catching you might have what's called a "bucket handle" injury where a small flap actually comes up and gets caught in the joint. *ouch*

Definitely see a specialist. You'll probably end up with an MRI (especially if you live in the US) which gives the doc a good picture of the internal structure of the knee. From there you can determine the best treatment.

I got my tear from hyperextending my knee while carrying a heavy backpack. I was lucky. I stopped hiking and running for six weeks and was able to heal without surgery. As has already been mentioned though, arthroscopic surgery is pretty easy and the healing process is quick depending on what has to be done to fix the problem.

Good luck to you.

Don't worry you'll be riding soon. A year ago I tore my tendon in the knee and I was riding again in a couple of months and that meniscus thing heels a lot faster. My daughter had one operated on (laser surgury) in high school. She's a marine now and still a runner if that tells you something.

Be sure to see a good sports Dr. and/or orthipedic (sp) Dr.

Luck
Joe
:beer:

Thanks everyone the specialist has been schedueled so I will see him soon. Thanks for all the information. I guess my years of soccer and other sports like skiing and snowboarding have caught up with me. I think i am just going to have to excercise me knees a little more. Once again everyone thanks.