Is it safe to skate with Meniscus tear? | Golden Skate

Is it safe to skate with Meniscus tear?

Xstatic

Rinkside
Joined
Oct 6, 2012
First of all, I apologise for opening two threads at the same time, I just have to ask this. :) Thanks for your patience with me.

I've experienced the same degree of bearable pain on my right knee for 9 months now, and I can still skate and do intense practice, of course, I do give myself breaks often and avoid doing heavy practices on some sessions, sometimes I even refrain from jumps. I practice my jumps probably twice or three times a week.

I haven't been diagnosed but, I'm assuming it's a meniscus tear for the reason that I've experienced it for 9 months now, and that I feel pain bending the knee, or sometimes walking. They're bearable pains, and even when I do intense practice, I don't feel it that much, only slightly. I feel it afterwards when I'm done practicing.

Anyway, has anyone here experienced or is experiencing Meniscus tears? What did you do about it?

I'm not sure what to do at this point, I just want to know how do I avoid not making it worse, or how do I treat it? I heard about surgery and I'm not keen about that. :(

Any other helpful advice will be greatly appreciated.
 

karne

in Emergency Backup Mode
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 1, 2013
Country
Australia
First, if you really think it's that serious, then STOP SKATING NOW. You are not Plushenko. Nor do you want to become like him for the sake of a hobby.

Second...er...doctor? IDK, but if my knee was hurting like that for that long...I'd have gone months ago to get it checked out.
 

sarahspins

Rinkside
Joined
Mar 30, 2011
You really need a proper diagnosis which will most likely require an MRI.. you can't just go by how you "feel". I tore the meniscus (plus MCL and ACL) in my right knee years and years ago and I didn't really have a lot of pain following the injury (at least not once all of the initial swelling went away), but I did have quite a lot of instability and locking (the locking is caused by the loose flap of cartilage getting in places it doesn't belong, which interferes with normal joint movement) until I had surgery to clean out the joint and repair my ACL. Last summer I thought I had torn the meniscus in my left knee based on the pain I was having with certain movements and random clicking and it turned out that I had a fluid filled cyst in my joint cartilage, but not near the meniscus, and what I was feeling was more like referred pain. The pain (and I am assuming the cyst as well, though I never had a follow up MRI to confirm it) eventually resolved on it's own, but I had to stop doing certain things that aggravated it for a while (mostly sit spins on that leg), but I didn't really need to change the rest of my skating.

If you DO have a tear, there really isn't much you can do to fix it other than surgery. Surgery always has risks but not having surgery often carries the risk of further joint damage too, so it's best to know for certain what you are dealing with before making decisions.
 

bibi24

Final Flight
Joined
Dec 31, 2009
if you get that thing scoped to repair the tear, try taking supplements (omega3, glucosamine/chondroitin, calcium/magnesium) afterwards to maintain cartilage heath
 

silver.blades

Medalist
Joined
Jan 4, 2007
Country
Canada
You should really get a proper diagnosis. Until then, you should avoid doing anything that causes pain. If there is swelling ice it and using a heating pad if it aches is a good idea as well.
 

Kitt

Final Flight
Joined
Feb 1, 2007
Country
United-States
As everyone else has advised, you need to get a diagnosis (preferably by a sport medicine physician who know what they're doing). I would stop jumping immediately until I knew what was going on.

I know a skater who had 2 surgeries but still has pain......so stopped ice dancing (which requires bent knees). :frown:
 

dlbwtgski

Spectator
Joined
Sep 24, 2013
You should definitely see an orthopedist about your knee. It will probably require an MRI to diagnose. I suffered a torn MCL while skiing last December. I didn't know how serious the injury was at the time but did see an (sports medicine) orthopedist. His initial diagnosis from a physical exam was the MCL was definietly torn and the ACL was probably torn. An X-ray was not definitive so he ordered an MRI. The MRI showed a completely detached MCL but fortunately neither the ACL nor meniscus was damaged so no surgery .

Point is even an experience doctor can't really tell what is damaged or not until you get an MRI.

As an aside, I just started skating this summer at the ripe young age of 59 to get in shape for ski season this coming winter since I missed all of last season due to the torn MCL. That was the first serious injury I have had in 40 years of skiing (at least 20 days a year). As I read about the various injuries people have experienced skating I get goosebumps.
 

dorispulaski

Wicked Yankee Girl
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Country
United-States
welcome to Golden Skate dlbwtgski! My son got a torn ACL this last year skiing. He is still rehabbing; his operation was in April. Hope you have a great ski season this winter.
 
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