# possible torn meniscus?



## Rufus

Probably just a bruise but it might be a good idea to see a doctor.


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## Kramer

definitely go see doctor.. if its slightly torn you could do a lot of damage to your knee and be out of commission for much longer.


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## KnoxBoarderX

It's most likely just a bruise, but go get it checked out. Any time you have a knee injury, there is swelling inside the joint which causes instability. That instability can make it very easy for you to tear something very serious like your ACL.


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## j.gnar

well ive had knee issues since i was maybe 12 or 13 from playin soccer my whole life. usually the entire knee would be sore and my movement would be extremely limited. but this case is really weird because i have 95% range of motion, i can twist it from side to side, i can walk and run no problems. it only hurts when i kneel on it or when i pull my leg to do quad stretches


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## orangatang

I tore my meniscus a few years ago and a great way to figure it out is to do what my sports therapist told me not to do. Which was to not bend my knees and do a twisting motion. 
I another thing is that I asked him about a brace too and he said that it wont do anything but have a physical effect on you because the problem is on the inside of your knee. There is really nothing to brace, you tend to need a brace more for like almost tearing your ACL which I have almost also done twice. 
It can heal over time, it depends though. I would see a doctor about it or better yet someone who deals with sports injury's. There is therapy you can do. 

After I tore it, I can't remember if I ran on it or not but I could walk just fine. I could also not see any inflammation around the knee. But you should watch out and go easy on the bending and twisting of the knee till you get it checked out.

Work out wise I can do all my regular stuff, same with weight lifting. The thing that bugs my knee the most is wall sits. You will just have to take it a little easier on that knee for a little bit.


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## linvillegorge

Go get it checked out. I'd be surprised if you tore your meniscus from a direct impact. Like the ACL and MCL, ig tends to be more torsional type movements that tears it. If you tore anything it would probably be your PCL but that's a fairly uncommon injury. Probably just a bruise, but get it checked.


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## earl_je

doesnt sound like a meniscal tear, maybe patellofemoral pain instead. Have it checked out, a quick test will confirm.


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## lonerider

j.gnar said:


> two weekends ago i was riding with a buddy and it was pretty icy out, some kid bailed in front of me so i threw a tight carve to avoid him and ended up slipping out and smashing my right knee cap into a nice ice patch. sharp pain shot through my knee and i called it a day. walking and daily activities dont cause any pain, shit, i can even run on it and theres no pain or inflammation. i do however get pain when i kneel on it or when i bend it all the way. all signs point to a torn meniscus but the pain isnt too bad so im thinking it might just be bruised or something. anyone had this happen to them? i ordered a brace today so ill be riding again soon, just curious to see if theres anyone out there with similar issues


Like everyone else said... to be sure go see a doctor instead of asking strangers on the interwebz for advice.

That being said... meniscus tears don't generally happen from impacts because it is "inside" your knee under your knee cap (usually it is a "twisting" or "buckling" of the knee) Also if it tears, there is typically a lot of inflammation/swelling.

But again, I'm not a doctor.


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## howeh

Tore my lateral meniscus last season and had to have 40% removed. It was locking, catching, it hurt like a bitch and felt very week and unstable. There was also no way in hell I'd run on it... I was hobbling about the place until I got it scoped.

Sounds like a bruise, but take it easy.


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## gjsnowboarder

j.gnar said:


> two weekends ago i was riding with a buddy and it was pretty icy out, some kid bailed in front of me so i threw a tight carve to avoid him and ended up slipping out and smashing my right knee cap into a nice ice patch. sharp pain shot through my knee and i called it a day. walking and daily activities dont cause any pain, shit, i can even run on it and theres no pain or inflammation. i do however get pain when i kneel on it or when i bend it all the way. all signs point to a torn meniscus but the pain isnt too bad so im thinking it might just be bruised or something. anyone had this happen to them? i ordered a brace today so ill be riding again soon, just curious to see if theres anyone out there with similar issues


My general rule of thumb is if within 2-3 weeks I go see the doctor if general swelling, pain and or a feel of instability exists, and I don't know already that whatever body part was hurt isn't already fubared. If you still have swelling and or loss of range of motion go see a doctor. Putting it off can could effect your quality of life in the short and long term.


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## j.gnar

gjsnowboarder said:


> My general rule of thumb is if within 2-3 weeks I go see the doctor if general swelling, pain and or a feel of instability exists, and I don't know already that whatever body part was hurt isn't already fubared. If you still have swelling and or loss of range of motion go see a doctor. Putting it off can could effect your quality of life in the short and long term.


the swelling and instability are gone. i ran 3 miles last night and it feels 100%. it still is pretty painful to touch though so maybe its a bad bruise? its the worst bruise ive ever had if thats the case


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## oneshot

u in Canaduh? free health care in Canada! go get a MRI and know for sure..
i could see being hesitant living in the states. MRI's are big cash$$ even when you have health benefits..


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## Qball

Doesn't sound like it would be a meniscus tear with that sort of mechanism of injury. Probably a patella contusion, or possible fractured patella? I hit my knee directly on a c-box a couple weeks ago and it hurt like a bitch for about the first week. I would get a super sharp pain when i touched it all but never lost any range of motion. I still get a sharp pain when i push directly on the spot but it doesnt hurt at all to ride. Sort feels like a may have chipped my patella


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## gjsnowboarder

If I was in your shoes I would probably give it a little longer. Might just be a bone bruise. However if you have medical insurance and don't live paycheck to paycheck go see an orthopedic doctor. There is something to be said for peace of mind.


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## j.gnar

Qball said:


> Doesn't sound like it would be a meniscus tear with that sort of mechanism of injury. Probably a patella contusion, or possible fractured patella? I hit my knee directly on a c-box a couple weeks ago and it hurt like a bitch for about the first week. I would get a super sharp pain when i touched it all but never lost any range of motion. I still get a sharp pain when i push directly on the spot but it doesnt hurt at all to ride. Sort feels like a may have chipped my patella


i think this might be what happened. i was working on riding switch over the weekend and laid down my knee really gently to stop my fall, and the pain was immediately back. it really sucks and i have a feeling its much worse than a bruise


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## Efilnikufesin

Between football and snowboarding I have put some hurtin on my knees. If within 2 weeks most of the pain and swelling has dissipated then it is most likely a Type I sprain. Anything more and you may need to see a doctor.

If it feels comfortable to stay active I would as the increased bloodflow will promote healing, along with using a neoprene brace which will help keep your natural body heat around the injury. Ice and elevate a few times a day if you can. Compression as well is good which the neoprene wrap will help with, I always find they heal up fastest the better I maintain compression.


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## j.gnar

Efilnikufesin said:


> Between football and snowboarding I have put some hurtin on my knees. If within 2 weeks most of the pain and swelling has dissipated then it is most likely a Type I sprain. Anything more and you may need to see a doctor.
> 
> If it feels comfortable to stay active I would as the increased bloodflow will promote healing, along with using a neoprene brace which will help keep your natural body heat around the injury. Ice and elevate a few times a day if you can. Compression as well is good which the neoprene wrap will help with, I always find they heal up fastest the better I maintain compression.


dude thats the weird part. it felt 150% after taking two weeks off from when it originally happened. the pain and swelling were gone, i could run/jog/stretch and it felt perfect. i barely bumped my knee into some hardpack and the pain came back. im thinking i might have fractured my patella or something :dunno:


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## Efilnikufesin

Doesn't hurt to get it checked out then, better to have to rest it a bit ( I hate resting for injuries myself,) than to be out for the season damaging it worse. Best case he'll tell you is to take it easy and rest a bit more. Keep up all the other stuff, and take anti inflammatories like ibuprofin and naproxin. Naproxin is a better anti inflammatory, ibuprofin a better pain killer, but each has aspects of both. Tylenol will not reduce swelling.


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## j.gnar

im gonna go in tomorrow and have it looked at, after doing some research it seems i might have slightly torn or damaged my mcl


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## easton714

Not sure why it took you so long to decide to heed the advice to see a doctor but I also don't understand what could be causing you to think it is a torn ligament. You would know if you tore a knee ligament. It sucks. And knees are not 10% as bad as shoulders. I had my shoulder reconstructed at 28 and it took 18 months of rehab to be able to lift my arm above my head.

Why so bad?

Because I tore my labrum playing baseball in college and ignored it. For seven years. So everything got effed up royally for seven years and had to be rebuilt. Had I gone to the doctor then, recovery from the arthroscopic repair would have been 3-4 months.


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## Efilnikufesin

easton714 said:


> Not sure why it took you so long to decide to heed the advice to see a doctor but I also don't understand what could be causing you to think it is a torn ligament. You would know if you tore a knee ligament. It sucks. And knees are not 10% as bad as shoulders. I had my shoulder reconstructed at 28 and it took 18 months of rehab to be able to lift my arm above my head.
> 
> Why so bad?
> 
> Because I tore my labrum playing baseball in college and ignored it. For seven years. So everything got effed up royally for seven years and had to be rebuilt. Had I gone to the doctor then, recovery from the arthroscopic repair would have been 3-4 months.


Well, you can tear a ligament in a knee and not know. It all depends to what degree you sprain it. Sometimes no worse than a simple twisted ankle which icing and taking care of it for a few days will help heal. It's more when the pain doesn't subside after a week or 2 that it's a serious problem. No one told him to wait 7 years to get it checked out and I don't think that was his plan.


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## j.gnar

easton714 said:


> Not sure why it took you so long to decide to heed the advice to see a doctor but I also don't understand what could be causing you to think it is a torn ligament. You would know if you tore a knee ligament. It sucks. And knees are not 10% as bad as shoulders. I had my shoulder reconstructed at 28 and it took 18 months of rehab to be able to lift my arm above my head.
> 
> Why so bad?
> 
> Because I tore my labrum playing baseball in college and ignored it. For seven years. So everything got effed up royally for seven years and had to be rebuilt. Had I gone to the doctor then, recovery from the arthroscopic repair would have been 3-4 months.


because aside from pain when i touch it, its completely fine...and because in most knee injury cases, all you need is rest and down time to recover...which is exactly what i did. theres absolutely no sense in me forking out money to see a doctor if i can do everything i would normally do. ive broken more than my fair share of bones and had just about every strain/sprain/bruise out there, i just came on here to see if anyone had some similar experiences to share


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## wkndwarrior

j.gnar:

i am riding this season with a torn meniscus in my left knee, against the advise of my orthopedic dr. of all of the things that aggravate my knee, snowboarding surprisingly does not seem like one of them. it hurts me more to get in and out of my car, and going down stairs. i have been wearing a level 1 (non-velcro) knee brace which helps while riding. i even fell flat on my knee caps last week with no real lasting problems. although when i get my surgery after the season this may be screwing up my meniscus a bit, the pain is no worse from riding. so ride on brother. ride on.


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## easton714

j.gnar said:


> because aside from pain when i touch it, its completely fine...and because in most knee injury cases, all you need is rest and down time to recover...which is exactly what i did. theres absolutely no sense in me forking out money to see a doctor if i can do everything i would normally do. ive broken more than my fair share of bones and had just about every strain/sprain/bruise out there, i just came on here to see if anyone had some similar experiences to share


Sorry. Don't buy it. If it were "completely fine", you wouldn't be complaining about pain and wondering if you tore ligaments on an internet message board.

A sprain/strain is not a torn ligament.


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