Knee Problems

Been through this with my left knee also. MRI said same thing. New Doc says no, its arthritis and has put me on some infusion meds. The result was amazing for about 8 months, then the drug stopped working. I start a different med next week. Will see how it works.

 

I waited too long with my left knee and had it replaced 4 years ago. That same year, the same surgeon pieced my meniscus together in my right knee. That was arthroscopic surgery. That was an outpatient surgery and was easy. He said he gave me about 5 years before it would be time to replace that one. Unfortunately, I moved away and I really haven't looked for good knee surgeon up in Michigan. I can't help with what you can do in Canada. But it doesn't seem like there are long waits around Michigan.
Maybe as a temp fix, get a decent knee brace that actually takes the pressure off your knee.

 

I've had two surgeries on my right knee. One for meniscus and the second to clean up the first and address some patellar tendon damage. Longest wait was 10 days from MRI to completed surgery.

So for timing I guess fly to Mexico and hobble across our southern boarder and get apprehended. Within a week you should be good as new.

New surgeon told me two years ago that I needed both knees replaced. I was 54. I declined, lost 50+ pounds and had to acquiesce to not jogging anymore. Just walking now, and a heavy bag.

 

My wife had a torn meniscus and 2 arthroscopic surgeries to try to improve her pain from the rough edges of the tear. Scheduling was pretty quick and done outpatient. However neither worked well. Last one was in September. As soon as she woke up she knew it didn’t work. The pain was constant and was impacting her mobility. There’s really nothing that can be done to “fix” a meniscus via arthroscopic surgery, according to the 3 surgeons we consulted. She also has a series of gel injections that didn’t help much.

Last week she had a total knee replacement. She’s sore, but the constant pain is gone. He leg is also now straight instead of being knock kneed.

Interesting thing we were told by her surgeon: 100% of patients that have arthroscopic knees surgery for meniscus tears will develop arthritis and need a total knee replacement. In part because of this she opted for the TKR to end the pain and improve quality of life. She’s only 51, and I’m looking forward to her being pain-free.

Edit: Timing. She saw the surgeon mid-November. Surgery was initially for January 4 because of the holidays. Rescheduled to Jan 26 because of a positive covid test. Was done at HSS in Manhattan. They were great.

 

Yeah, I have arthritis in both knees. Once the meniscus tears it is just a matter of time before it disintegrates. Then it is bone on bone, aka arthritis. Some day I'm sure I'll get total knee replacements but for now weight loss and knee friendlier exercise has kept the pain away for the most part. Unfortunately, I was walking up a hill last Friday at a hard pace and felt a twinge in my hamstring. I pushed through anyway and right before I got to the top of the hill it completely let go. Bruise and everything. I've been on the shelf the last week because any athletic movement hurts it worse. It's driving me nuts.

 

What is a ridiculus wait time? Should only be a few weeks down here.

 

Ah yes. The “wait list” in Canada.
Socialized medicine is truly a form of rationing.

I’ve had 3 knee surgeries from sports. Meniscus tears. Only way to fix is to get scoped.

Shop around rural US.

Good luck!

 

FYI…The “public free health care” system in Canada is falling apart, for a variety of reasons…..Covid, nurse/doctor burnout, retirements, demand from 500k immigrants every year.
I was referred to a specialist for a torn shoulder tendon, diagnosed from an x-ray and ultrasound last August…I’m still waiting for a call back.
Hip and knee replacements typically are a 8-12 month wait, at best.
Oh, and by the way, wait times in hospital emergency rooms are now the worst they have ever been…averaging 21 hours!
https://globalnews.ca/news/9126152/ontario-hospital-emergency-room-wait-time-july/
https://www.fraserinstitute.org/categories/health-care-wait-times

I remember watching a talk show and listening to Jim Carey (a Canadian comedian) extol the virtues of Canada’s great universal public health care system, compared to the US system…..he obviously hadn’t been back to use the Canadian system as a joe average guy.

 

I tore the meniscus in my left knee many years ago, didn't get it scoped, no insurance at time. More or less healed on its own, somewhat, stayed away from high impact activities, always a little bit trick. Reinjured it about 5 years ago, doctor did stem cell treatment - took bone marrow from my hip bone, mixed with my blood and injected with ultrasound direction into my knee. Procedure was outpatient, done on a Friday, back at work on Monday. I had previously tried gel injections, steroid shots, etc., nothing worked but this procedure was amazing. At the time insurance didn't cover it, as it was considered "investigative", which is apparently a step beyond experimental.
Total cost about 3 grand. Worth every penny.

 

This is a fantastic procedure. Peyton Manning went to EU back when he injured his neck because it wasn’t “approved” in the US.

It’s what I plan to do on my knees in the future. My own stem cells. Not looking forward to drilling into my hip bone though.

 

It wasn't painful. Local anesthetic, the only sensation was pressure. I was much more nervous from watching videos of the procedure beforehand and imagining the feeling than the reality turned out to be.