Extreme Pain after Meniscus Tear
Posted , 7 users are following.
Hi all, I am making this enquiry for my partner who is in no fit state to do it himself.
4 weeks ago he was getting into a cab and tore his medial meniscus. The MRI shows that it is a straight tear with no overlaps or anything sinister and the doctors are saying he shouldn't be in much pain.
He is in so much pain, he can barely sit still, he can't bear weight on it, and just having clothing or a blanket touch it is incredibly painful.
He is 62 but up until the injury has always been healthy even with being overweight, and has never had any other injuries to the knee. The MRI also shows that he has stage 4 Tri-Compartmentalised Osteo-Arthritis, but this wasn't causing him any trouble before the tear so we are pretty sure it is the tear that is giving him grief.
my question is, did your tear cause you significant pain like this? He is on Endone as well as a slow release form of Oxynorm, Panadeine Forte and Voltaren, and while this takes the edge off the pain, he is still suffering terribly. I just don't know what else he can do and its at least 4 weeks before we can get an initial consultation with the specialist, and then its a 12 month wait if they decide he needs surgery.
Any advice you have would be greatly appreciated
Thanks,
Andrea
0 likes, 7 replies
CHICO_MARX panda38479
Posted
I had four knee scopes in my 50's...two menisci and two femoral condyles...both types on each knee. Fixed and on my feet in a few days. The arthritis is normal for the age. When they do the scope, they also clean out what arthritis they can. Unless all the cartilage is gone and he's bone on bone, you're not looking at a TKR.
Meanwhile... Nothing will get better without the arthroscopy...period. Voltaren Gel is the second-best topical anti-inflammatory on the planet so that's a good thing. I would imagine he's on some kind of opioid for intense pain...I don't recognize those names in the US. Hydrocodone with acetaminophen (Vicodin, Norco) and Oxycodone with acetaminophen (Percocet) are the most common. Hydromorphone (Dilaudid) is a significant step up and not used often. Anything with hydrocodone could cause severe constipation. A step down would be Tramadol.
The oxy and hydro meds come in many strengths delineated in milligrams by "opioid/acetaminophen"...ex: 5/325. These can range from 2.5/325 all the way to 10/500 plus be prescribed every 4, 6 or 8 hours. You need a doc who knows his/her meds to find the right combination of dose and time.
Taking major opioids for a whole year is definitely NOT recommended as they are VERY addictive. After an excruciatingly painful TKR, most people are off the drugs in 30-60 days. My daughter took Vicodin for 2 years after a severe back injury and her teeth started to rot. Not a good idea.
I'd get the meds straightened out and the surgery done ASAP.
martinarvelo CHICO_MARX
Posted
cheryl86544 panda38479
Posted
Sorry to hear this Andrea. It sounds like he needs an arthroscopy. See if ice helps relieve any pain while he's waiting to see a specialist. Chico's advice is great but perosnally I never received any pain relief from topical creams like voltaren. I'd suggest discusssing naproxen with your GP as it's stronger than voltaren.
chris00938 panda38479
Posted
Oooh - ouch - sorry to hear about this! I have torn the medial meniscus a couple of times but it sounds as though mine wasn't anywhere near as bad as that. What did help me was using a neoprene sports knee support during the day. But ice and elevation MIGHT help a bit. I wish I could help more!!!!
marilyn10235 panda38479
Posted
Hi there Andrea, I had a couple of tears in my meniscus & had nowhere near the pain your partner is experiencing. So he really needs that consultation & arthroscopy.
Are you in Australia or NZ? Maybe your doc could prescribe Naproxen which is an NSAID, anti inflammatories can be helpful. Can your GP ask for an urgent referral, as this is obviously affecting his quality of life!!
I'm afraid I can't offer any other advice, other than keep on badgering the hospital &/or your GP to get seen by an Orthopod ASAP.
Marilyn
XX
martinarvelo panda38479
Posted
Sounds bad . . as well as all the medication, he could try using ice to try to reduce any inflammation . . .perhaps that is increasing the pain? I know that inflammation doesn't have a lot of room in a knee, and the pressure can cause a lot of pain.
clive45466 panda38479
Posted
Hi
Torn meniscus tenders to cause pain as it's loose it touches ligaments and nerves.
Hot baths helped me it you can massage the knee and get it back where it should be the pain should ease
Good healing