OTJ meniscal tear

[rat115]

I'm having a rough time. I got my knee injured the day after Thanksgiving on the job. The partner who was driving (there were 3 of us on the ambo) got a heavy foot because for a pt with a GCS = 3. My boss was sitting in the captain's chair trying to raise the hospital and told me to use the independent pulse ox across the ambo from me instead of the one on the Lifepak. I was leaning across the pt when the driver hit the gas, stumbled and slammed into the back door of the ambo with the side of my knee hitting first. After we dropped the pt off, I sat at the station with a cold pack on for 20 minutes and then went home and continued RICE at home. I didn't get it checked out that night because it felt like a bruise and the knee was moving fine. I hadn't felt an actual pop because of the impact. By Monday, I was feeling pain.

My knee never ballooned up because I don't swell normally. I went into one of the 2 clinics here and the doc did an x-ray. That came back clean...No fx. It did show some thinning of my bones, so the doc started me on CA and Vit D twice daily. She didn't attempt anything else at that time.

I went to my chiropractor thinking that my knee was mildly dislocated. I've had similar happen with my kids and the MDs never even think about reducing them, so I had the chiropractor (who also has sports med training) take a look. He noted significant internal swelling immediately. (This is with me taking 400 mg Ibuprofin every 6 hrs.) Manually palpating around the knee joint, he told me that it felt like a meniscal tear and encouraged me to continue the current treatment of bracing it, heat applications and NSAIDs. He also encouraged me to get back in with one of the MDs at the clinic.

I finally got back in with the head doc at the clinic. (Different doc than the one that ordered x-rays.) By the time he saw me, he'd looked at the x-rays and had read the radiologist report. In a 10 minute appointment, he had the scheduling department authorizing and scheduling me an MRI. The next day, he told me over the phone that I had a meniscal tear and that he rarely saw ones like this heal without surgery. When he called, I was on the road becuase 2 of my kids had appointments in the city so I couldn't ask a lot of questions about the exact nature of the tear.

Scheduling couldn't get me in until Jan 6th with the ortho. For now, I can't work on the ambulance at all. My part-time non-EMS job has me limited becuase stairs or even vacuuming makes my knee lock up or hurt unbelievablly. Getting help around the house is like pulling hen's teeth with 2 pre-teens and a teen. My husband's been pretty good, but lately he's chewing me out for doing things he thinks is beyond what won't make me hurt but himming and hawing when I ask for help with what I know will make me hurt.

Any idea on the come back post-surgically on a mensicus tear to being back on the rig? Any suggestions on how to get help around here without buying a cattle prod? I'm about to scream!!!! (And this is only the crap at home and not the crap I'm getting from some of the people on the ambo. That's almost another thread and definately its own post.)

[co2rescue]

Wow. Ok tough spot to be in...anytime you get hurt ANYTIME!!! Fill out incident report..to cover your butt. As for the surgery. Been there done done .. get ready for surgery and 3~4 mos off if all goes well. The meniscus is a tough ligament. So when ya tear it. Oh boy. Keep it elevated. DON'T twist the leg to move. Move your foot in direction ya want to go. Use ice. Rehab will be only thing to make it better..it will never be the same. As for help. Ask for it from the kids. Try to keep what ya can dosimple and safe. Try to work with leg up. Try to use elevator at other job..hopefully workers comp will kick in soon. And. Btw expect pain with seasonal changes. ..I know when it will snow or rain before the weather guy opens his mouth....good luck

Ps. Noticed I didn't say ask hubby for help.. he's like most men we tend to do ONLY what were asked to do.. remind him about who cooks dinner

[tniuqs]

It has been my experience as I too have had a meniscus tear the healing time is depedent on the tear .. i did not have a surgical fix ... btw.

Agreed nsaid's and ice .. a cheap knee brace may help but watch for tensors as the can cause DVT.

motivation of teens and pre teens ... are stun guns restricted items in your hood ? Fear of pain is a great motivator

[rat115]

Co2... Thanks!

3~4 months more post-surgical is going to stink, but it's about what I expected. I've had injury to both a ligament and a tendon, so I had some idea. It's just not something I'm happy about.

The report was filed. Our EMS Director was the ALS on the call, so he had paperwork going before I got into him to get the official paperwor after Thanksgiving weekend. He'd already given the driver a talking to about his heavy foot, too.

You're right about babying the knee. I've found the slightest twist is a bad thing. (That was hard for me at first with having martial arts training.) Weather changes and uneven ground are bad too. Knee keeps trying to drop out on me. Pain is pretty much a constant even when they upped me to 800 mg Ibu. I actually do better most of the time using heat on the knee instead of ibu and letting my natural pain threshold stay strong (as crazy as that may sound). I'm actually kind of scared to try getting out in the morning with it snowing and blowing badly enough to form black ice tonight.

Docs have me using heat instead of cold. 1st, I don't tolerate cold well normally and cold was making my muscles spasm. 2nd because of the age of the injury being over a month old now.

Around the house, my hubby is normally really good. He's more apt to chew my bunz about something he thinks I shouldn't do and tell me to go sit down while he fixes dinner. Being my 2nd marriage, my kids keep pushing him and don't want to help. That's got me about to blow up at them.

At the other job, there is NO elevator. I also can't work with the leg up there for 80%+ of the time. I'm actually supposed to stand almost all of my shift there (front desk at a hotel), and my boss is letting me break that rule and sit all the time. Thank Goodness!!!!

motivation of teens and pre teens ... are stun guns restricted items in your hood ? Fear of pain is a great motivator

Hmmm....

Maybe the SO down the street would let me borrow his. That or I could borrow a cattle prod from one of the oldest's scout leaders.

[tniuqs]

I'm actually kind of scared to try getting out in the morning with it snowing and blowing badly enough to form black ice tonight.

Yak Tracks ... or a knock off .. don't re injure but do walk if MD allows.

[medicgirl05]

Well I've had some experience with torn meniscus so I'll add my 2 cents.

First, knee pain sucks. For me there wasn't much that helped with pain control except heat.

Second, for me personally, the hardest thing was that I lost alot of muscle in my knee from waiting too long for surgery. Ask your dr or find a therapist for leg exercises. There are a few you can do that keep your leg in shape without further pain or injury to the knee.

I had meniscus removed twice from my knee. The first time I played softball 1 week after surgery. Knee felt absolutely fine. The second time recovery was longer as my muscles had deteriorated prior to surgery.

Hope you find this helpful....

[Happiness]

Sorry to hear about your troubles Rat it sucks to have knee pain for sure. I dont have any advise on the knee but to follow Dr's orders and rest it as much as you can...

Now with the kids and it being the second marriage, I to have had to go through the step parent issue's with the kids not helping, my advise is to let him deal with it. Most men will only take so much and then will demand that they start to help or he will make their life miserable, oh ya make sure you have a pair of good ear plugs when this happens....

Good luck and get well soon

[rat115]

Well I've had some experience with torn meniscus so I'll add my 2 cents.

First, knee pain sucks. For me there wasn't much that helped with pain control except heat.

Second, for me personally, the hardest thing was that I lost alot of muscle in my knee from waiting too long for surgery. Ask your dr or find a therapist for leg exercises. There are a few you can do that keep your leg in shape without further pain or injury to the knee.

I had meniscus removed twice from my knee. The first time I played softball 1 week after surgery. Knee felt absolutely fine. The second time recovery was longer as my muscles had deteriorated prior to surgery.

Hope you find this helpful....

Thanks, 105. I'm in the same boat that only heat helps the pain. I've been working with my doc and chiropractor together. (The work comp doc is actually my GP and knows that I've been seeing the chiropractor.) The chiropractor has a degree in sports medicine, so he's helping me keep from losing too much muscle. I've also found out that the ortho sends his patients to this chiropractor at a point post-surgically to ensure that everything is in proper alignment with the surgery and pt to help healing. I got lucky to fall into a good team, so I'm hoping that this will help things heal faster.

Sorry to hear about your troubles Rat it sucks to have knee pain for sure. I dont have any advise on the knee but to follow Dr's orders and rest it as much as you can...

Now with the kids and it being the second marriage, I to have had to go through the step parent issue's with the kids not helping, my advise is to let him deal with it. Most men will only take so much and then will demand that they start to help or he will make their life miserable, oh ya make sure you have a pair of good ear plugs when this happens....

Good luck and get well soon

Happi, we're already there and have been dealing with that off and on for a while. The ex is part of the issue on that, too. (If only.... Ok, I'll shut my mouth there.) I think that the kids are getting a clue after spending close to 2 weeks with their dad between Thanksgiving break and a week of Christmas break and they're realizing that their dad really doesn't stick to what he's said or stay consistent on what he wants. They've got that consistency here, even though kids seem to love to push against that and want it at the same time. Hate it, but glad it's not abnormal.

[Richard B the EMT]

January, 1997, I tripped over the edge of the outdoors carpet at the ambulance dock of a hospital, and crashed down onto my left knee. I was in pain, and after another team already at the same hospital with a different patient assisted my partner in bringing in my patient, they returned to me, and assisted me inside.

The X-Ray didn't shop anything. Meniscus tears don't show on X-Rays, I'd later find out. The ER Doctor actually refused to sign off on the FDNY paperwork to allow me off the remainder of my tour, actually saying he thought I was faking it, but "FormerEMSLt297", who was previously my partner, then my lieutenant, knew me not to be a malingerer, and put my ambulance off service, and held me at the station. I was not on an ambulance for the remainder of that year.

The process was slow, but a few months later (!) I got authorization for an MRI, which did show the tear. In July of that year, I had corrective Arthroscopic Laser Surgery (I think that was what it was called, anyway), and was finally returned to full duty in late December of that year.

Since that time, I've re injured the same knee (x2), without requiring surgery, but now have a pre-arthritic condition.

Almost anyone with a joint injury can tell when there's going to be a storm, as we feel anywhere from mild discomfort to 6 or higher pain (scale of 10), from the approaching low weather system atmospheric pressure. I'm usually good for that for 72 hours advance warning, so perhaps I should work for the weather bureau (NOT!).

As the injury was Line Of Duty Injury (LODI), it was covered by Workman's Compensation. They paid for all medical, pharmaceutical, X-Ray, MRI, and surgical costs, as well as the (POS) leg brace I wore for the next several months.

Edited January 4, 2011 by Richard B the EMT

[rat115]

Richard, sounds like I'm lucky to have the 2nd GP that I saw know me and know that I'm not one who c/o pain at the littlest thing. I'm glad this doc sent me in sooner for an MRI than you were able to get in.

I agree about knowing ahead of a storm that something's coming.

New question...

I live on the plains in Colorado and had to go into the mountains in Wyoming. I had to go the weekend after I injured my knee, and thought the increase in pain was because of the time in the vehicle. I've had to go twice more and have had similar pain increase with the change in altitude (Pain got worse as my ears would block up and I'd have to pop them.) I'm going to talk to the ortho about that and the continued pain on the medial side of my leg just below the knee Thursday, but was curious. Have any of you that have had knee injuries ever experience that kind of increase in pain with the change in altitude?