thru hiker I just tore my left knee meniscus

[takethisbread]

I'm right now in hospital in Lexington Virginia . dr here says I need complete removal on my left knee meniscus . I been hiking very well . I'm just short of waynesboro. dr here says hike is over. I cannot fathom that. any ideas? I've done a lot to make this hike happen. I've been hiking strong, doing 20 miles virtually every full day since Roan. a thruhiker might understand, is there a way to stabilize this thing and go on just slowly? has anyone dealt with this type of thing before ? help. I'm desperate. I don't wanna go home.


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[Bobby]

I'm right now in hospital in Lexington Virginia . dr here says I need complete removal on my left knee meniscus . I been hiking very well . I'm just short of waynesboro. dr here says hike is over. I cannot fathom that. any ideas? I've done a lot to make this hike happen. I've been hiking strong, doing 20 miles virtually every full day since Roan. a thruhiker might understand, is there a way to stabilize this thing and go on just slowly? has anyone dealt with this type of thing before ? help. I'm desperate. I don't wanna go home.


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well, can you walk?
just for a minute lets put what the dr. Said aside. Can you walk on the trail with a pack on? If the answer is no, then I guess the question becomes, what is it going to take for you to be able to walk on the trail with a pack on? The dr seems to think a surgery is in order....maybe second opinion is you best bet. My guess is regardless of what the future holds, you need to rest. Perhaps you should head back to mass and get another opinion while you are resting. Only you know what you can tolerate as far as discomfort and pain goes.

[magneto]

That really sucks. I haven't thru-hiked yet, but I do understand the disappointment of an injury preventing you from doing your hike.

Take a look at this:

http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/m...topic-overview

Looks like it's treatable. Get treatment and then return to the trail later - don't do permanent damage that will end your hiking career. Think of the future now - you are obviously a bone fide long distance hiker.

Good luck.

[Kerosene]

You must've torn it pretty darn well for them to want to remove all of it. I would think that your next step should be a second opinion; not as to whether you can resume your hike right away but as to whether they should remove your entire meniscus. Regardless, my take is that your hiking is over for this season and you will need to recuperate in some way. Bummer.

[Pedaling Fool]

I'm right now in hospital in Lexington Virginia . dr here says I need complete removal on my left knee meniscus . I been hiking very well . I'm just short of waynesboro. dr here says hike is over. I cannot fathom that. any ideas? I've done a lot to make this hike happen. I've been hiking strong, doing 20 miles virtually every full day since Roan. a thruhiker might understand, is there a way to stabilize this thing and go on just slowly? has anyone dealt with this type of thing before ? help. I'm desperate. I don't wanna go home.


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That sounds pretty serious. How does an injury like that happen? Maybe some can learn and avoid in the future.

Can you walk without pain?

BTW, all pains are NOT equal, there's the good pain; the pain that is indicative of weakness leaving the body. Then there is the bad pain; the pain that the body communicates to you to STOP doing what you're doing, NOW.

How would you characterize your pain?

[Tuckahoe]

Seems to me that this sort of advice should be coming from the Dr and the Dr providing the second opinion. When a Dr (the professional) says the hike is over, it's over. They're there to help you look after your health and wellness.

[slbirdnerd]

That totally sucks and I can only imagine how hard it must be to be faced with ending your hike. Read this for some inspiration: "Three Hundred Zeroes" by Dennis Blanchard:
http://threehundredzeroes.com/

[saltysack]

R&R maybe flip flop late sept if healed up?


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[gsingjane]

Dear TTB, my feedback to you is not on the medical issues because I am not a doctor and so my opinion there is worthless. However... this was my experience. About 3 years ago I had persistent pain on the outside of my right knee and could not for the life of me figure out what was wrong. I took days off, iced, strengthened, tried running on different surfaces, this that and the other. After about 3 months I gave in and went to a well-recommended orthopedist. He thought it might be a meniscus problem and ordered an MRI, which I had done. What a disaster.

The first doctor diagnosed me with "bone on bone" arthritis under my right knee cap and said my hiking, backpacking and running days were over effective as of right then. He recommended that I consider an immediate total knee replacement and warned me that I'd be in a wheelchair by that decade's end (I was 53 at the time).

After coping with a nearly suicidal depression caused by this completely unexpected diagnosis, I decided that (since getting a TKR would guarantee I'd never run again!) I decided to seek out a second opinion; this was about a year later. Well! The second orthopedist said that all he really saw on the MRI was "normal wear and tear" on the joint caused by a lifetime of activity but he saw no reason at all I could not, with time and maybe some attention to form, get back out there.

At my age, it wasn't incredibly easy, but I'm happy to say that now, 3 years later, I am back and 100% as active as I ever was (still in the process of losing ALL the flubber chubber caused by the extended break, but I'm well on my way). For two years now I have completed an extremely strenuous trail race, and I am back leading trips and backpacking with happiness and no extraordinary pain.

What I really wish is that I had sought out that second opinion sooner than I did. Not to disrespect the orthopedic profession at all, but I also learned that the same images and symptoms can lead to very different diagnoses. If I were you, that would absolutely be my second "step" here. And in the meantime, try to have faith. You might not come back exactly like you were, but you might... and in any event, all is not lost. Not at all.

The very best of luck to you,

Jane

[Spirit Walker]

My husband had that happen when we were attempting a second PCT thruhike. He had had meniscus surgery before, and knew the difference between normal wear and tear and a serious tear. He could barely walk and was in a lot of pain. It took 8 hours to walk the 10 miles out to the highway. We flew home where he had surgery. He has very little cartilage left in that knee, after two surgeries, but generally it doesn't give him problems. (It's his other knee, which never had obvious meniscus problems, that had to be replaced.) The healing took about a month before he could hike fairly normally, but we took it easy for the rest of the year. The following year we went back to the PCT, where his other knee took us off the trail.

I agree about seeing another doctor for a second opinion. However, I think you know whether the pain is such that you can continue to hike or not. One issue with bad osteoarthritis in the knee is that it will swell and get very painful. DH has had to have the fluid on his bad knee (the one he replaced) drained several times and when we were hiking the AT it slowed him down a lot and caused a lot of pain. He thought it worth continuing his hike, but it probably made the knee worse and hastened his need for a total replacement.

[Old Grouse]

Definitely get a second opinion, and even a third. Preferably from an MD at a hospital that specializes in your injury. Around NYC I'd aim for someone at Hospital for Special Surgery. It may be worth the effort both in terms of result and recovery/physical therapy time. Good luck!

[Old Grouse]

I don't know where you live in Massachusetts. Mass General is one of the best for orthopedics.

[rocketsocks]

Well that really blows Take this bread, sorry to here that. hope it works out and you can get back as soon as possible.

[Berserker]

Looks like it's treatable. Get treatment and then return to the trail later - don't do permanent damage that will end your hiking career. Think of the future now - you are obviously a bone fide long distance hiker.

I would think that your next step should be a second opinion; not as to whether you can resume your hike right away but as to whether they should remove your entire meniscus. Regardless, my take is that your hiking is over for this season and you will need to recuperate in some way. Bummer.

The 2 quotes above sum it up. Don't make a rash decision based on emotion that could end in permanent damage to your knee, and get a 2nd opinion. Hang it up for the year (or at least till you are healed), and get back out there for some sections or something. Life is always constantly changing, so I'm sure another opportunity will pop up to attempt a thru.

[colorado_rob]

You must've torn it pretty darn well for them to want to remove all of it. I would think that your next step should be a second opinion...

Agree. Can't imagine a need for complete meniscus removal. Get another opinion.

I tore mine in 2007, got surgery, back hiking in 2 weeks. Zero pain after 3 weeks. Sounds like my tear was much more modest though.

I would not hike again though until you got some sort of resolution (2nd opinion, surgery).

[forrest!]

I had a torn meniscus about 15 years ago. Any lateral twisting of the knee caused it to swell up like a grapefruit, which put me out of commission until the swelling subsided. Had to have arthroscopic surgery to repair it. Took a couple of months to get over it and much longer than that before I was really comfortable. Now I no longer think about it, but then, I'm old, and all my joints hurt.

But only you can answer if the hike is over. If stress causes the knee to swell then going on may not be in the cards.

[Vinramm]

I did the same thing refereeing basketball 4 years ago,,,,,decided to forego any surgical intervention (tough guy syndrome) ended up getting UKR (unilateral knee replacement). Might want to consider the second opinion but when it comes to a weight bearing joint, think long term. I'm able to hike, climb, and do most anything within reason now. I went through the whole regime of cortisone injections and even did the Synvisc injection trying to avoid meniscus repair. Wish I had the repair done when the Orhto recommended. Choose wisely.
VR

[takethisbread]

thank u for all your kind words. I have sent the MRI to my orthopedist back in Boston . I await his call. he has thruhiked and is a endurance athlete so I am hopeful. the diagnosis will be from him and the solution. if it indeed is not a full tear, and I can somehow continue , I will. we shall see, I got some great pain meds, and I am hopeful. I had the injury on the other knee, and I hiked some with the injury before surgery, although consistent hiking led to extreme pain, and extreme swelling, and would be impossible in thruhiking . thank u all again.


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[MDSection12]

Best of luck.

[Rolls Kanardly]

I'm right now in hospital in Lexington Virginia . dr here says I need complete removal on my left knee meniscus .

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I tore my left meniscus and eventually it turned into spaghetti. The threads started moving between the joint and would drop me in pain. They removed it and later replaced my knee. It took a while to recover but the pain is gone. If your meniscus is gone your joint will start wearing down and will have to be replaced. It was too late for me to do what I found, was another option. Under certain circumstances you can replace the meniscus with one from a cadaver. I read an article about a female runner who shredded her meniscus and after recovery with a cadaver meniscus was able to run again. I have not read anything on this line for a long time but if it is available it might be something to talk over with a professional. Good luck God I feel for you. Sore knees suck. Rolls