hey all i just got back from my orthopedist today and was diagnosed with a torn lateral meniscus in my right knee and a torn peice is stuck in the joint because my knee will not flex unless alot of force is put on it. i tore it last night and am not having a MRI till monday so i wont know for sure that that is what it is till then. my questions are 1)what the hell is a lateral meniscus and what does it do 2) how long will i be out of baseball after surgery 3) should i still train my my whole upperbody or should i just train abs and forarms so i dont get “to big” without leg strength. thanks
Dude,
The meniscus is the basically the padding for the bottom of your knee joint. (laymans termonology) The word lateral means the outside (on the same side of your leg as your pinky toe)
They probably did a painful exam on you yes? The reason you can barely bend it might be due to all of the swelling that is involved with that sort of injury. An MRI will give the medical staff a more definitive answer thus proving what type of procedure will be necessary. I hate to leave you hanging without much information, but there isn’t enough diagnostic evidence of what is really wrong with your knee to tell you how long you’ll be out of commision. For the time being, I recommend you keep ice on it and start a religious regimen of anti-inflamitories as long as you aren’t allergic to medication. That will help keep the swelling down thus taking away some of the discomfort. I also think you should immobilize it for at least a few days (if you haven’t already). From what I’ve learned through my knee issues, the less weight you’re carrying around the better. I went through a period of excessive weight gain and my symptoms (pain, instability) increased. Now that I have my diet back on track and a bottle of HOT ROX, my symptoms will hopefully deminish. Word to the wise, don’t keep eating the same when you can’t do the cardio you’re accustomed to! Good luck with the knee, Dude. It was a smart move asking us on the forums right away about tips and tricks, my dumb ass waited and learned things the hard way. Check out this website for some more definitive answers about your potential condition.
http://www.soarmedical.com/medical-library/knee/torn-meniscus/
Take care,
Brad