The menisci in one of my knees is falling apart. Actually both, but one is much
more truculent. An MRI may show tears, esp. if it's a contrast MRI. Does it
cripple you? If so, and based on the degree, you may want to consider surgery.

In my right knee, a tear I didn't know I had broke while I was hiking. I was in
agony all the way back to the car, and for the next 2 years while idiot doctors
couldn't figure out what it was. I finally found one who could (I picked him
out of a rogues' gallery of physicians at a certain medical center). He went
in, cut out the offending material, sewed me up, and I had no downtime OR
recurrence (since 2001). I can feel what I think are new tears inside that
knee, but I probably wouldn't feel them if I hadn't had so much knee pain in the
other.

Then, without warning, without any prior signs or symptoms, my left lateral
meniscus went blooey. This time, living in a different city, I got a diagnosis
right away (anyway I knew what it was from the other one), had the operation.
Some downtime. A petulant patient, I was annoyed that there was still some
soreness -- it wasn't inside the knee and I could have lived with it, but
nooooooo, I wanted my old good knee back. So I saw another doc, he went in, cut
out more meniscus, and I still had the outside pain, and more & more inside.
Something gets caught in the joint and hurts like hell, but the pain goes away.
Doc says maybe a loose piece of meniscus, maybe scar tissue.

Now in my R knee, I have chondromalacia again, so whereas I could take a 5-mile
walk last year, now a 2.5 mile walk cripples me for days.

I'm just waiting for the left one to blow up altogether and then I'll get a new
knee.

Ann
----- Original Message -----
From: mdougherty22000
To: itbs@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Thursday, April 16, 2009 11:03 AM
Subject: [itbs] Not the ITBS





Well, I decided to seek the opinion of an orthopedic specialist who helped me
with an injured shoulder 9 years ago.

He has decided that I do not have ITBS as the PT and my PCP thought.
He geels I have degenerative meniscus. Apparently I have pain on both sides of
my knee and along the line across the knee. He showed me where IT should cause
the pain and pointed out that my painful area is somewhat different.

We decided to be conservative in our approach. He gave me a knee exercise to
do for my quad. I will do the exercise but I think my quads are pretty strong
already.

I think that some of the exercises I was doing at the PT were irritating my
knee. I don't blame anyone but I am glad I got another opinion. I have been
getting better since I finished going to PT about a week and a half ago.

I'll let you all know if anything changes.

Many thanks for your kind advice,

Michele Dougherty





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]