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MRI Interpretation Help Please

Posted , 3 users are following.

Mr_Nadeau
Mr_Nadeau

Hello and thanks for looking at my post. I have a follow up visit with my knee doctor in 2 weeks but received a copy of the MRI report today. I had both knees scanned and am hoping someone here can help me understand it better.

I'm 49 and was walking when I felt a sharp pain in my right knee. I shifted all my weight to left leg resulting in sharper pain in left knee. Both knees have been swollen for past 3 weeks.

Report for right knee: Horizontal tear within the mid body and posterior limb of the medial miniscus. Anterior limb is intact. Joint space is narrowed and the articular cartilages are narrowed particularly on the femoral condyle.

Report for left knee: Area of high signal within the articular cartilage of the medial facet of the patellofemoral compartment. No subchondral edema. Lateral miniscus shows foreshortening of its free edge of the mid body.

Any translation into laymans language would be appreciated. A two week wait for doctor visit to translate the report has me pretty anxious.

Thank you again for looking at my post!

0 likes, 4 replies

4 Replies

  • anne07663
    anne07663 Mr_Nadeau

    Posted

    Basically it's a torn meniscus. I had that in 1985, they did surgery to repair the meniscus but that can be done now with a small incision and a scope. Rest it and keep ice on it for 4 or five times a day to keep the swelling down.  The left is your knee cap. Just rest and ice it too. Good luck, but it doesn't sound like you will need a knee replacement..yet. 
    • Mr_Nadeau
      Mr_Nadeau anne07663

      Posted

      Thanks for your reply Anne! This will be the 3rd procedure on my right knee. 4 years ago an MRI of the knee indicated a torn miniscus .. knee Doctor went in but it wasn't torn. Instead, he did a microfracture procedure on my knee because he said there was basically no cartilage there. Tried to get stuff growing by making small fractures in it. A year to the day if that procedure he was back in the knee for what turned out to be a miniscus tear. Microfracture was a painful recovery, miniscus was a piece of cake. However, at that time he said my 46 year old knee looked liked it belonged on a 70 year old and would need a TKR within 10 years max .. realistically 5 years. Well, here it is 4 years later and the knee is blown out again.

      As for my left knee, first issue with it. I can't walk normally without something feeling like it's being pinched on the backside of my knee. Happens about every 20 steps or so. The left one gives me more trouble than the right on at this point.

      My knee Doctor is off all this coming week and I won't see him untill April 7 .. that's why I was so anxious for an explination of the tests. Nothing ever seems to go quickly with an injury. Thank you again for your comments!

  • Jenpen44
    Jenpen44 Mr_Nadeau

    Posted

    I ccompletely understand I have had three surgery's and fixing to go to yet another Dr I feel pain every day and been through 3 yrs of therapy.
    • Mr_Nadeau
      Mr_Nadeau Jenpen44

      Posted

      I ended up in the ER room a week ago today. Me and my daughter were in a store when my left knee gave out but not like it usually had been doing. Same sharp pinch behind knee but it wouldn't stop. Every step I took caused the pinching or snapping to occur behind my knee. Just making it out of the store to my car was one of the hardest things I've done. ER was just a mile away but by the time I got there the left knee was so swollen it made my pant leg tight. ER took x-ray to make sure no broken bone and gave me a knee brace. I follow up with knee Doctor in 3 days on Thursday. I'm pretty sure I finished whatever it was I started on my knee in the store. Best description I can give is something pinches or snaps behind my knee when I walk. Whole knee is swollen but especially behind the knee where the pinching occurs.
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