Knee Surgery-Part 1

As some of you know, I am scheduled for knee repair on May 27th. I've titled this section part one as I'm sure I'll write a parts 2-? after surgery giving you updates (as I will not have much else to do but read and write blogs.)

The surgery is to repair and or remove a meniscal tear in my right knee joint. A meniscus is a soft 'C' shaped ring that sits between the knee joints (I like to think of it as a rubber seal like in an engine) for layman's terms. The idea of a meniscal tear is best described here!

I am not sure at this point what specific type of tear I have, but I have an idea that it is an outer or inner horn tear (on the end) causing a loose flap of meniscus to 'hang out' (in a not so cool way) in the knee joint. As to the cause of the tear, this type of injury is often sports related, usually in pivoting or slowing down a run in a standing sport. The best thing that I think could have caused my injury is kneeboarding as seen here! I thoroughly enjoyed kneeboarding and my family still enjoys this sport in the summer. However I'm left questioning the saftey of this sport especially if kneeboarding the redneck way as seen here!

I had my first concerns with the knee about 5 years ago. At that time my family doctor suggested that I not go for surgery as any form of surgery has risks and could make matters worse. I wasn't impressed with his treatment at the time as he did not look further into it. My knee started acting up more frequently and finally after about a year of research, doctors and studies, my newly appointed knee specialist sent me in for a magnetic resonance imaging scan (MRI) which provided the necesary info to schedule my surgery. The MRI is quite a unique feeling because as pictured in the above link, you are strapped to a flat board which slides into this large hollow unit which whines, hums and makes lots of noise. The cool part is they give you headphones, let you put in your own cd and you fall asleep the hum of this machine that seemingly threatens to eat you alive! :)

I am to have arthoscopic surgery done on my knee which is to leave only two small cuts around the joint. One opening for the camera, the other for the tools. Though it is surgery in something as complex as the human knee joint, it is only a day surgery, and one where within 1-6 weeks I should be back on my feet, and back into a fully active lifestyle in half a year. The thought of surgery also doesn't concern me much as I have a very good doctor who was just able to help out a friend, Carolyn Bartels, and this form of knee surgery has been practised for several decades.