Dr. says I probably have a torn meniscus. Had an MRI Wed., now just waiting to hear from the doc and get surgery scheduled. Already been off work for over a week. Too much time on my rear in front of the computer has cost me money. I love my hybrid, but ordered a new road bike yesterday. Hopefully knee rehab won't take too long and I can get back on the road.

If it's just your meniscus, and you don't have any torn cartilage or anything else going on in there, your rehab will be pretty fast. I had my meniscus repaired last November, and my dad (who is 68) had his done this February. I also had a cartilage tear requiring microfracture, which is what held up my recovery. Dad was up and walking in 3 days, completely recovered (out of PT) in less than an month.

Speedy recovery

I had two torn meniscus done years ago. If yours will be anything like mine, it will be a pice of cake. I put mine off thinking I would be laid up for a long time with rehab, but I had much more trouble with a tooth ache than the knees. I was laid up longer with sinus surgery than the knees. You will be glad you got it done and be on the bike before you know it. Good luck.

Thanks guys! My knee has bothered me for nearly a year, but nothing terrible. I've been able to keep riding by doing some PT. Last week something popped and my knee swelled up. Now it feels very stiff and painful if I move it wrong. Doc says I will probably be back to work in 10 days. We will see! I ordered a new bike to motivate myself to get through the rehab quickly. Now I realize I will have to just stare at it for a while. lol!

I'm pretty sure the miniscus is cartilage.

[h=2]Knee surgery soon[/h]Good luck on the surgery! I guess you should be thankful that the tear is in a region (with blood flow) of the knee where it can be repaired. I have meniscus tears in both knees (since '03/'04); however, b/c the tears are in spots w/o blood flow, no surgical repair is possible, so I have them for life Fortunately, so far, I've had no swelling or locking, and I ride briskly twice a week all year for fitness. I often wonder "when is my number up" w/ regard to my knees
Hope you're back on the bike and riding well soon!

Sorry, I wasn't clear enough. Yes, meniscus is cartilage, but it isn't articular cartilage--the kind that is smooth and lubricated by joint fluid and meant to be contacting the other joint surfaces. If you have a tear in articular cartilate somewhere else in the knee, that will require another method to deal with it, such as microfracture or O.A.T. S. which will extend recovery time.

I have a problem knee. No insurance,no money and cannot find a surgeon who'll help me out. I have too many possessions for the state to help. I cannot ride. This sucks.

Oh. Sorry to hear about your knee. Good luck on a quick recovery.

My wife had arthroscopic surgery on one of her knees on Wednesday. Cleaned up meniscus, removed some floaters, etc. After a couple of days on crutches, she started walking around yesterday, is pretty mobile today, and had first physical therapy this morning. Also, swelling is way down today.

Just do what your Doc tells you - which will be to keep your leg elevated and knee iced for the first 2-3 days. Unlike after her surgery for a broken hand this winter, percocet has really helped manage the pain. Ambien has helped her get restful sleep at night.

I will have to ask the Doc about that as I haven't slept well for 2 weeks. I take a pain pill before bed, but when it wears off I wake up hurting. Still don't have a surgery date, hopefully I'll hear something today.

If you've been exercising, you might be able to ditch the crutches when you get home, and be up and around with little or no support in a day or so. Don't push it too hard - on my third surgery I pushed a bit, and had real nasty swelling. But, on my first two, copious amounts of ice and anti-inflammatories had me on an elliptical training in four days with real workouts in a week.

Still a pain to go through - well, pain isn't exactly the best word, inconvenient would be better. One of my coworkers had ACL surgery and is off the bike another month (been off a month already) - hope you're in the saddle again quick.

Dr. just called and confirmed I have a torn meniscus. They will call back soon with a surgery date. In the mean time, I received and assembled this yesterday. Tried to take it for a quick ride, 30 seconds, but my knee complained loudly. Just couldn't resist.

Everybody has a torn meniscus to some extent or another. Surgery should only be done if it's actually bothering you. I was up and walking the same day as the surgery and back teaching HS three days later, never used crutches. I was able to get back on the bike really quick and rode a century two months later and a 400km ride within three months. Everyone is a little different, follow your Dr's orders for getting back going again after surgery.

Um. Talk to your doc. But be quite careful mixing ambien with painkillers like percocet or hydrocodone/oxycodone. Benzodiazopenies (ambien) and narcotics can be very dangerous when taken together, because they can both surpress your respiratory function. Especially don't add alcohol to the mix. This is how a lot of hollywood stars wind up "accidentally" overdosing and dying FYI.

Absolutely! Thank You!

Always good advice. My wife is a PharmD, so she justs talks with herself. I do too, but for other reasons...

Well, I had the surgery Friday afternoon. 48 hours later I'm already much improved. Knee still feels stiff like it's full of fluid and slightly swollen, but the sharp pain is gone. I will call the doc tomorrow for a follow-up appt to get the stitches removed. I expect to be riding again very soon.

ramfactor congrats. take it slow.