Torn Meniscus Injury?

[Jquick823]

I didn't read all the responses, but I can tell you from experience about knee injuries.
1. I was told I had a torn meniscus and it would heal (Pre MRI), I used a little google magic and found that blood flow (blood is required to repair injuries) is limited to the inside and outside so depending on which part of the meniscus is torn will depend on healing. Meaning a Lateral (outside of the knee tear) would need for the farthest outside portion to be torn for it to heal the best.
2. Was this an ortho or just your family physician? It really does matter as there are certain tests that are done to determine the need for an MRI, a DR that doesn't recommend an MRI is really not that good at their job are they? This is a joint injury and should be treated as serious, an MRI that reveals no damage is a good thing.
3. Meniscus really never repair and surgery to the knee or anywhere for that matter leads to arthritis. (probably not always the case but likely)
4. My torn lateral meniscus was actually a complete tear of the ACL, medial and lateral meniscus and a mild sprain of PCL and MCL, my "DR" said I would be good in 3 months and as a military member with UNIVERSAL TYPE HEALTH CARE I had no choice but to take their word as I can't request an MRI unless I pay full price. I am currently 7 years post original surgery and 5 years post scope and still have pain. Don't continue to play on it, walk on it, run on it, dive on it or anything else on it without truly knowing what is wrong. You wouldn't diagnose your vehicle without popping the hood and having a specialist look at it, why do that with a knee???

Best of luck and I hope it really is just a meniscus.

 

[RubberBiscuit]

Careful - Ortho "specialists" can be way wrong too many times too. The recommendation I would give that DD & I found out almost too late is => find a big giant D1 school medical system and employ that ortho doc. Just like in anything in life, lots of pragmatic experience on sports injuries (which D1 school doctors have lots of that) will beat the crap out of allot of text-book and small town "grandma had a fall" injury experience.

I will also state => any doctor that does not base their opinions off of an MRI IS a witch doctor!..... (my opinion based on DD's pains)

 

[MsDinosaur]

Is it possible to get an MRI done without a physician's referral? DD hurt her knee again last night diving back into third. She's been seeing a physical therapist who said she thinks it's either a small medial meniscus tear or tendonitis in the knee. She's got an appointment with a doctor at the Children's Mercy Sports Medicine clinic in early November. According to her pediatrician, the sports doctor would be able to order an MRI if he thinks one is necessary and/or if we can persuade him to. I think we're already close to the three month time period that the article mentions is best for a good recovery.

 

[RubberBiscuit]

Is it possible to get an MRI done without a physician's referral? DD hurt her knee again last night diving back into third. She's been seeing a physical therapist who said she thinks it's either a small medial meniscus tear or tendonitis in the knee. She's got an appointment with a doctor at the Children's Mercy Sports Medicine clinic in early November. According to her pediatrician, the sports doctor would be able to order an MRI if he thinks one is necessary and/or if we can persuade him to. I think we're already close to the three month time period that the article mentions is best for a good recovery.

My admittedly "light" understanding is that Doctors will feed back to you the phraseology that the insurance companies want you to hear - which includes "you don't want this expensive MRI"...(said in the Master Jedi manner).

Hindsight I was told after all my DD's recent back-health issues is that I should have and could have taken a much more demanding stance with my insurance & doctor on their resisting the MRI.

I think our goal as consumers is to get soooooo many MRI's being accomplished that the cost of MRI's goes way down so that X-Ray becomes a historical marker in healthcare like the use of Chloroform....