Knee swelling

Hey

So, a few years ago I tore my meniscus in my left knee. I went to physio for it, completed the regiment, and haven't had any problems with it since. At least, not until a few weeks ago.
Basically, it's just getting really stiff and more and more swollen. No pain from the joint itself, just some discomfort from the swelling.
I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations for bringing the swelling down?
I've been using Tiger Balm, an Arnica rub, and icing it quite a bit, not to mention resting it (I'm a musician and on vacation right now. I don't get out much. hahaha).
At this point I can still function with it (and even forget it when I go to training), but it really bugs me when I get out of bed in the morning and when I go to sit down in a chair. I suppose I'm just getting old now, huh?
I'd appreciate any advice you guys have to give

 

Just going through this at the moment, tried everything I could, RICE, Ibuprofen gel eased the pain but could not get the swelling to go away, doc was hopeless and so was the physio and it was only when I mentioned I had medical insurance did I get anywhere

I have torn cartilage in both knees, the right was the worst and most swollen so had a small op to trim the damage away.

Going to Belgium training in a fortnight so will leave my left knee until I get back

One thing I have found that is really helping me to recover is cycling as it is taking the joint through a full range of movement without impact and I have found that the day after it feels much easier.

Good luck with it, I know what a PITA it is

 

Yeah, I suppose that should get put back on my list... :/

I stopped by the local pharmacy here, and couldn't find ibuprofen gel, but the pharmacist said regular ibuprofen (advil, or something similar) would help in the same way (he warned me against taking it regularly for an extended period of time though). I took 4 tablets yesterday (2 every 6 hours) and it's already helped a lot. To the point where that was all I needed I guess.

Thanks for the advice!

 

Ouch. That's really a bummer man.

I'll give cycling a shot once I get back to school (free gym on campus), but it looks like I'm in the clear for now at least.

 

Torn meniscus (90% of the time) wont grow back. The blood supply to the meniscus is so small, and really only lies on the surface that any substantial tear needs surgery not therapy or NSAIDs.

I just had a third of the meniscus removed from the medial side of my left knee. The doctor said it started as a small tear and just gradually got bigger over time with the abuse I've put it through.

Braces help in that they limit the chances of further tearing since they impede the full range of motion. But understand, this will more than likely NEVER SPONTANEOUSLY HEAL. It wont 'go away' or 'get better', it will just lie dormant, but torn, until you have it properly sorted.

I dont want to sound like mister doom and gloom here but I went into mine with the thought that I could train through it, or treat it and I made mine much worse than it needed to be and that cost me some rugged recovery time. I dont want to see you make the same mistake.

 

I went back to my physio yesterday and I have started introducing weighted step ups, swapping feet, and controlled shallow squats.

An interesting suggestion is to stand with a bench close behind you, as you squat down you can only go as low as the bench so you don't risk going too far

I've got a long way to go but I am noticing a difference daily

 

There is one thing I think any active person should consider for any body part that is giving them trouble: Egoscue Exercises. http://www.egoscue.com/
These therapists cause you to cause your nerves to hold your bones in positions more like the ones human bones are designed to be held in. The way it helps injuries is that, if bones are lined up right, the body can still function pretty well even with cartilage damage. If they are lined up wrong, no amount of exercise will suffice and any medical treatment that fixes one problem will create another in another joint.
After unsuccessfully trying standard physical therapy for a knee injure, I found Egoscue exercises and read the founder's "Health Through Motion" and "Pain Free" and found a local therapist to prescribe exercises specific to my problems and had great results.

 

Yeah, the doctors made that painfully clear to me back when this first happened... They did say, though, that it was possible to build up the muscles around the joint to the point where they can compensate for the tear. I thought that was a pretty interesting idea, and it actually worked really well for a long time (it's been about 3 or 4 years since it happened, and it's just now causing me trouble again).
I understand what you're saying though, and appreciate your advice. I'll take a look into my options when I get back to school... (free doctor on campus...)

 

Yeah, that's a cool idea for a controlled exercise. One of the biggest one's they had me do (you can do it anywhere, really) was to just slide your foot back and forth on the floor. Just low enough so that it creates a little bit of friction, but still high enough that you don't have to strain. It' basically geared toward building up the muscle around your knee to compensate a little bit. It really helped me a lot though.

Good luck to you

 

That sounds really interesting, I'll take a look (and read) into it. Thanks for the link!

 

This is a bit of a long shot, but does this method treat only muscle / bone / tendon / problems? Or is it applicable to different ailments (like chronic sinus issues)? I've had really bad sinus issues for years now, and have been keeping it at bay with apple cider vinegar for some time now, but wouldn't mind a permanent solution... haha

 

just another update.

went back to see the surgeon last night, he was pleased with the recovery I have made in 3 weeks and has decided I don't need to see him again for a further 6, so I was quite pleased with that

did an hours training afterwards, half of which was kenjutsu and I performed much better than I expected as a lot of it has very deep kamae, so I was quote please with the too

however, my knee is a little sore today so I did a bit too much and have decided to rest it and leave out any exercises until tomorrow

listening to what my body is telling me is working, I've just got to be careful not to rush it

P.S. hope you don't mind me adding to your thread as I searched for months trying to find out what was wrong with my knee and came up with nothing, hopefully my experience may help someone else

 

^^ This! I took Mondays class off because the knee wasn't happy with me. Last night I went in (mostly just to get out of the house) and discovered we were covering kicks... ALL. OF. THEM. I gave it my best shot but toward the end of class it hurt to just stand. I went home and iced like my life depended on it. Today its not awful but it's not pain free like it was on Tuesday.

My doctor said it can take MONTHS before your knee is healed enough post surgery to really push on it. I think I'm going to fall into that category - oh wait... I already DO

 

I have yet to try this myself, but my grandmother (she's a nurse) has arthritic problems with both of her knees. When I mentioned what is going on with me to her, she said that she had started taking Tumeric extract for it about a month ago, and that it was helping a lot. I know it's not really the same thing as a torn muscle in your knee, but upon researching I found that a lot of people report tumeric as helping to bring down inflammation in the body.

Anyone have any experience with it?

 

Meniscus really isnt a muscle. Its more like spongy cartilaginous material. Its essentially dead in that it has no blood flow - which is why it cant heal. Jus sayin...

 

Yeah, I'm not saying it would heal it, just that I've heard it helps in managing (and bringing down) inflammation

 

My guess would be that it would help with this if and only if your sinus issues were due to some pinched nerve somewhere in your neck. I know nothing much about sinus issues (except that apple cider vinegar helped mine, too) so I don't know if it could be caused by bone alignment problems. I use apple cider vinegar (raw organic) on leafy greens as salad dressing twice a day. How do you take it?

Oh, when I practically stopped eating wheat that made a big difference, too.

 

Yeah, apple cider vinegar really saved me. I'd been having these problems for at least 3 years, been going to doctors, months on anti-biotics, expensive tests, and all the doctors could tell me was that they didn't know why I was in pain. Go figure. haha
I just mix in two table spoons into a glass of water and drink two or three times a day (depends on the day). It's quick and easy, not to mention I love the taste. I use organic unfiltered; I tried the filtered kind, but the higher acidity just made it feel like it was tearing up my throat after a few days of it.
I'll give the wheat thing a shot though, thanks for the heads up. I have to ask though... If you cut out wheat, how do you eat a sandwich???