Possible Slight Meniscus Tear/Sprain

whodafunk

Hi All,

I did something to my left knee a few weeks back. I was returning to running and pushed it too hard in the middle of the run, I had warmed up and started out slow felt good and pushed it too hard too soon!
Symtoms - tightness, a little swelling in the knee, dull pain on the inside of left knee (pain 2 out of 10) was a little sore going up/down stairs. I didnt feel anything pop or go during or after the run and even did a good stretch afterwards. I have good range of motion - I can bring my heel right up behind me and can pull my ankle right in to my inner leg without any pain. In the last 12 months I have been doing strength classes focusing on amongst other things strengthening of legs, glutes, etc. I had been doing weighted lunges and squats and felt great afterwards but felt my knee was giving out a little so I'm going to avoid these exercises for 6-8 weeks to see if there is any improvement and have avoided all running activities again to see if I can totally rid this injury.

I have seen an osteopath and my local GP recently to get referral for MRI and both felt it was nothing serious which didnt require surgery which I was glad to hear. MRI is booked for this week so will know soon hopefully what the issue is. GP thought it was meniscus related - possible sprain/strain/minor tear.

I was just wondering if anybody else has experienced any similar injury and if you have any tips for anything that worked for you? I'm 47year old male and most of 2024 was written off with this injury (I have somehow managed to do this injury twice on my left knee and once on my right knee!). Strength classes have really helped to manage the injury, keep swelling to a minimum and keep good range of motion I just want to rid the injury altogether! My goal is to get back into some running - nothing too serious.

Thanks everybody.

Hashtaglavista

If you've managed to repeat this injury and on both knees then it sounds like it's something you're doing wrong and it may well be coming from your exercises rather than your running.

Maybe have a look at the intensity of your exercises, the amount of repetition and form.

I wouldn't do a lot of lunges and squats the day of or the day before an intense session.

Sometimes we try to strengthen out legs and end up with overuse or overload problems. Throw running with intensity in on top of that and you're injured.

whodafunk

Ok so had an MRI last week and just got the results back. Complete tear of medial meniscus. I have full range of motion it's only when I push myself hard on a run it flares up - slight swelling and tightness in the knee. I'm sort of surprised as I never felt anything go or pop (as many people have described online in other stories I have read), my knee has never locked either and the doctor was sort of surprised I'm still doing as much as I am doing and have little to no pain. I can run 3-5km at a slow to moderate pace without any setback.
I've been doing 3 gym classes per week for the last 12+ months so definitely my legs, etc are a lot stronger than ever before I'm sure that is helping overall. The past 3 weeks I have stopped doing squats, lunges and stopped the treadmill just to see if the rest will help.

So I guess my question is and I know every situation and person is different but do people think I could make a recovery based on the above approach and avoid surgery? I'm 47 year old male and basically most of 2024 was written off with this injury - tried several physio's and tried different things which I now know don't work for me.

Thank you.

More Music

Complex tear of the medial meniscus here. Happened Jan 2023. Didn't know it happened. Woke up next morning with tightness, bit of burning and swelling. Got worse over next few days. Couldn't bend leg from straight out position. Stopped all activity. Went to doctor.

Range of motion improved to around 90 deg bend after a few weeks, could not bring leg back to touch heel off butt.

Got MRI and started physio. Pain during this was at most 3-4. ROM improved again. Started light activites Dec 2023 after clearance due to overall improvement. ROM now maybe at 140 deg. Can't quite bend leg all the way back.

No pain. Can run, play soccer and carry out day to day activites. Opted not to have surgery. If I had surgery early on and got to this level from that, I would have been very happy.

Jonathan1998

A slight meniscus tear or sprain can cause discomfort and swelling, especially after activities that involve twisting or turning motions, like running or jumping. It’s important to rest, ice the area, and avoid putting too much weight on the knee. If the pain persists, seeking medical advice for proper diagnosis and treatment is key. I recently came across this website called BetterMe, which, while focused on overall health and wellness, offers great tips for injury recovery and staying active. Their personalized plans can help with rehabilitation exercises and improving overall strength, which can support recovery from injuries like a meniscus tear.