> I thought I had torn my meniscus about a month ago falling
> down some stairs- it's on my knee that had an ACL recon
> (allograft) back in 2001.
> I have been having ongoing problems with swelling, etc,
> ever since the ACL recon and in 2006 had an MRI to see if
> anything was going on. The MRI indicated mild articular
> damage and a bone bruise, but nothing else. Was told by OS
> that there's nothing wrong and I just have to live with it
> (so I've tried).
> Fast forward to me falling down the stairs. My knee swelled
> much more than it had in the past- went to a new OS for a
> new opinion, and he diagnosed it as a torn meniscus. He
> gave the recommendation to scope it, but I was reluctant
> due to my history. Back in 1999 (pre ACL tear), I was also
> diagnosed with a torn meniscus in the same knee, same place
> (medial). I had it scoped and there was no tear- the OS
> removed plica and that was it. So, when my current OS
> recommended a scope I was hesitant. Instead I had another
> MRI and got the results today. No tear! While I'm happy
> there's no meniscus tear, IT DOESN'T SOLVE MY PROBLEM. My
> new OS also said the ACL looks great and the screws are
> good.
> Here's what else they did find: mild to moderate articular
> cartlidge thinning on medial & lateral sides as well as
> in the middle. Moderately large effusion. My translation of
> this is that the meniscus is thinning a little and my knee
> is swollen. NO KIDDING. I knew that already. I guess the
> good news is that the bone bruise from the first MRI is
> gone.
> First question- is this really something that I have to
> just deal with for the rest of my life? It's rather
> discouraging for a 34 year old to be told that your knee is
> going to hurt and limit your activities forever. Or do you
> have suggestions of something else that is going on that my
> new OS and old OS just didn't see. I would love to have the
> swelling problem fixed; then I can address the pain issue.
> I have absolutely no ability to do anything side to side or
> my knee kills. A strength issue? I haven't done anything
> required high mobility for years.
> So, does anyone have any ideas for how to deal with a knee
> that continuously swells with any activity more intense
> than walking? I already ride the bike daily (which I
> currently only do for 30 minutes 5 times a week, but can
> increase to 60 minutes), and do weight lifting 3-4 days a
> week, which include lots of quad/hamstring strengthening.
> Also, could this be a weight issue? I am 5'8" and
> weigh 155 lbs. Somewhere on this board I read the
> recommendation to get back to your high school weight- that
> would be 30 lbs to lose, which seems excessive BUT I'll do
> it if it makes my knee not hurt.
> Any help would be appreciated and any stories of how you
> battled a chronic knee pain I would love to hear. THANKS!
A biopsy of the allograft ACL and the adjoining synovium would determine if there was some sort of inflamatory process going on related to rejection, or some reaction secondary to some of the caustic stuff that the graft is soaked in to kill germs. The most common one was Ethelene Oxide. EO really ruined people's knees. In 2001, I think it was still in use.
