Wellness

[beauty junkie]

Besides all my other health issues while at my rheumatologists office I told him my knee has been unbearable. Ultrasound showed 2 tears in the meniscus and a cyst and loaded with calcium. He gave me a steroid shot and now it feels worse. I don't want surgery,any ideas how to help this pain would be much appreciated.

[OkeyDokey]

While you don't desire surgery, it is usually a scope procedure with fast recovery. Physical therapy may help somewhat.

[CaliKat]

I'm so sorry you're in pain. I'm afraid I don't have a solution for the pain, unless perhaps physical therapy can help it without the surgery. I tore the meniscus in my knee, and was unable to walk on it at all. I had to have the surgery to correct it, followed by physical therapy, and it was fine. The physical therapy following the surgery is very important, because it strengthens everything. I hope someone will post some suggestions for you. Good luck, and I hope you feel better.

[wismiss]

Hopefully some other posters will have some suggestions, too. I tore the meniscus in my right knee in two places. I eventually had to have a knee replacement. However, in the interim between the meniscus being torn and the knee replacement, I had cortisone shots and hyaluronic shots, and also had physical therapy to strengthen the muscles around the knee so it wouldn't buckle, or freeze. My osteoarthritis became so bad I was bone on bone and that was the need for a knee replacement. However, if your problem is a meniscus tear without accompanying osteoarthritis, I would talk to your doctor about physical therapy as a first intervention. Then, if after a period of therapy it is still painful, explore shots.

Be cautious about taking NSAIDs for pain relief. Prolonged use of such pain relievers can cause chronic kidney disease in some people.

[CaChica]

I am sorry you are having pain and will get relief soon.

[beauty junkie]

Thanks for the help everyone. I have Lupus,RA and fibromayalgia and my healing is so poor so thats why hesitant on surgery. I will be seeing my Ortho Dr soon and then an MRI and see what can be done. The pain is pretty bad thats for sure.I appreciate your input.Lots os calcium on the knee and a cyst too.

[Cookie06]

I had a torn meniscus and nothing helped but finally had surgery. The surgery was so easy to recover from and being pain free in that knee is so wonderful. Best of luck you and I hope you can find some relief.

[Kachina624]

When you have a shot for knee pain, it usually feels worse for a couple days before it feels better. Surgery is really the only solution to fix a torn meniscus. When I had one, I had a lot of other damage to the knee so I elected to have a total knee replacement. It's fine now. The shot should help and you can have them periodically, but they eventually will no longer be effective.

[sfnative]

Hi BJ!

Around 1999 my husband and I flew to our Christmas destination and I experienced such pain in my right knee I nearly asked to stop by the ER after we got in our rental car. It wasn't any better going home on the plane. At the time, I didn't know what the deal was with the plane. However, after seeing a knee doc and having an MRI, I understood.

My lateral meniscus had "accordioned" and sustained a huge tear as well. Additionally, he showed me that I had a meniscial cyst toward the front of my knee the size of a walnut. That's what was causing the big pain. See, on the plane I had worn jeans which didn't have much give, so they pressed on the cyst for hours, which then pressed on nerves and other structures in the joint. My doc said the knee capsule was also torn and that I must have really done myself an injury, because I honestly needed surgery to get that cyst out, remove the accordioned cartilage and anchor the capsule.

It took me months after that surgery to figure out what I had done to my knee and when and then I was ticked off at myself for not reporting it because I was on a Christmas errand at work to purchase poinsettias at the flower mart, when we dashed across a very busy street. Well, me with heels on tripped and fell directly onto my right knee. I could not move it hurt that much and begged Leo to come get me off of the street. LOL! He thought I was kidding. Not!

Anyway, all I thought I had was a skinned knee, because I never had a bruise or any swelling and that was in 1987, a full 12 years prior to experiencing all that pain on the plane.

I hope you can get that cyst out of there.

~Rebecca

[Tissyanne]

On 1/7/2015 beauty junkie said:

Thanks for the help everyone. I have Lupus,RA and fibromayalgia and my healing is so poor so thats why hesitant on surgery. I will be seeing my Ortho Dr soon and then an MRI and see what can be done. The pain is pretty bad thats for sure.I appreciate your input.Lots os calcium on the knee and a cyst too.

Hi beauty junkie, I just now read your thread, and am sorry you are in pain. My husband had this, along with a baker's cyst behind the knee. Very painful. He did have surgery, and it was out patient. I brought him home on crutches the same day. I am not sure of other options, with your health problems, I can sure understand your concern. The bakers cyst went away when he had the surgery. Nothing had to be done for it. I hope you get relief beauty, and soon.