Re: Popping Knee Help Please!

One thing that I do not understand about your post is that "Went to the Orthopedic Surgeon (a few weeks later...I had to get a referral)....."  If you had a torn meniscus and had to have surgery, you most certainly had it done by an orthopedic surgeon.  Then why in the world did you have to have a referral to see another(?) one.  Why didn't you go directly back to the surgeon?  He/she would have all your records and X-rays and could give you an evaluation.

I had worn cartilage in my left knee and it would lock up on me and cause excruciating pain.  I was bone on bone and that's what it sounds like you're experiencing.  Yours would appear to be due to a torn meniscus, mine was from just plain wear.  I expect that you had arthroscopic surgery for the repair, which is what I had.  If they tacked your pieces together, I would expect that your little jump tore them again, just my guess.  The failure rate of what you had done is pretty high to begin with (http://orthopedics.about.com/cs/meniscusinjuries1/a/meniscusrepair.htm), so I'd expect that you're back where you started at.  My arthroscopic surgery for worn cartilage was not successful and made the condition worse.  Found out later that the doctor knew that the chances of success were not very high, and they don't tell you that when they do the surgery.  I ended up with a knee replacement and amazingly that has been very successful.  (I had a knee replacement for my right knee three years ago and that was the most difficult period of my life.  It took a good eighteen months to heal.)  Since both surgeries I CANNOT jump or run.  That might seem obvious, but I have been a runner and done some skydiving in my days and I was told it's Ok to jump out of an airplane - as long as I don't land!!!  Actually, all my skydiving landings were soft and easy and I truly would love to do it again - for my 80th birthday, and no, I'm not Bush.

It sounds as if you have been walking lopsided for several months.  I did it for several years without realizing it.  A chiropractor cannot balance your muscles, only you can do it through physical therapy and as you do, your back will balance itself.  I would suggest going to a PT and getting some routines and then do them faithfully on your own after a couple of visits.  My first physical therapist after my first knee replacement didn't know what he was doing and I didn't get a lot of benefit from him.  The second therapist had a master's degree in PT and specialized in knee and hip replacements and knew what she was doing.  I got a load of benefit from her and learned what strengthening exercises to do.

One thing you haven't mentioned is cortisone shots.  They helped for about seven or eight months on my right knee, but not on my left one.

There is some doctor in San Francisco who injects cartilage cells directly into your knee, and they grow and replace what has been lost.  I looked him up once and found that he was terribly expensive, but hopefully that is the route of the future.

What it sounds like to me is that you need another repair and are headed in the direction of a replacement.  I know your struggles, I went through all of it.

Best to you in whatever direction you take.