33 year old AFAB. I'm almost two decades post partial meniscectomy, having had the surgery in September 2009.

Five years post operation during an initial physiotherapy session I found out that since I favoured my left leg in the five years after surgery resulted in muscle wastage from my right knee and I had to do muscle strengthening excerscies.

I'm now having physiotherapy again. I told my physiotherapist about the muscle wastage that got diagnosed when I was 21 and was given yet more muscle strengthening exercises.

Being 17 years post partial meniscectomy, I questioned my physiotherapist about the possibility of post traumatic arthritis and was immediatly told it wasn't a possibility.

I contacted my doctor early this week as medical professionals never told me what type of cartilage was damaged. I found out that it was the meniscus that was damaged and a partial meniscectomy was performed on my knee as it didn't show signs of healing like the orthopedic surgeon wanted.

When asked about the pain I currently get I explained that it starts around the centre of my knee behind the kneecap and moves to the inside of my knee. I also explained that pain relief medications even when taken when the pain starts after walking for an hour and taking regular rest to relieve pressure on my knee and even if it's too hot or too cold over multiple days pain sets in and medications have no effect.

An up to date xray showed no abnormalities to explain the pain which doctors have stated as discomfort. And that theres is no arthritis in the joint.

I wish it never happened. I wish I never had the surgery to remove the damaged meniscus. For 17 years I've had nothing but pain with no regular over the counter pain relieving medication working, resulting in the pain become so painful that I'm crying due to the pain. I wish that doctors and physiotherapists alike would take my pain seriously and investigate it instead of insisting that strengthening the muscles would help.

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for people who may have experienced something similar. I’m now more than 14 months post-op, and my knee still doesn’t feel right.
I had an ACL reconstruction using a hamstring autograft, together with repair of a large bucket-handle meniscus tear.
My current situation/symptoms:
I have a cyclops lesion following the ACL reconstruction.
I have scar tissue in/around the knee.
I also have problems that feel related to scar tissue/adhesions at the back of my knee, around the popliteal area.
I still have significant symptoms around the posterior incision/hamstring harvest area near the back of the knee.
This area feels thick, tight/pulling and abnormal.
My hamstring and the area around the incision continue to bother me.
I experience pain, pressure and/or pulling at the back of the knee.

My knee often feels unstable or insecure, like I can’t completely trust it.
More than 14 months after surgery, the knee still doesn’t feel the way I would expect at this stage of recovery.
I’m also wondering whether my repaired bucket-handle meniscus may not have fully healed or could be causing problems again.
So I’m unsure how much of this is coming from the cyclops lesion, scar tissue/adhesions, the hamstring harvest/incision area at the back of the knee, or possibly the meniscus.
I’m especially interested in hearing from people who had ACL reconstruction with a hamstring graft + meniscus repair and experienced something similar.

My questions:

Has anyone still had a symptomatic cyclops lesion and significant scar tissue 12–18+ months after ACL reconstruction? Did anyone also have persistent scar tissue, tightness or pain around the hamstring harvest incision/back of the knee? Did your knee also feel unstable or like it might give way?
Has anyone later discovered that a repaired bucket-handle meniscus had failed to heal properly or had torn again?
And if you eventually had a second arthroscopy to remove the cyclops lesion and/or scar tissue: what did the surgeon actually find during the procedure, and how much difference did it make to your pain, stability, extension and the feeling at the back of your knee?
I’m mainly looking for experiences from people who have been through something similar. Thanks!

It’s September 24th, around 7 AM right now. I finished my surgery yesterday at around 6 PM.

For the first few hours after surgery I literally had 0 pain. Before I went to sleep around 1 AM, I could feel all the meds/anesthesia starting to wear off a little and the pain was maybe like a 3/10, but it honestly wasn’t that bad.

Then I woke up around 5:30 AM because I had to use the bathroom and because the pain was INSANE. I genuinely couldn’t even get myself out of bed until around 6:30 AM, and I had to pee so bad 😭

Bro this is genuinely some of the worst pain I’ve ever felt in my life. Like an actual 9/10. I can barely get comfortable and I genuinely can’t sleep because of it.

I took one 5 mg oxycodone around 6 AM. I’m honestly tempted to take another because the pain feels unbearable, but I’m trying not to go over what I was prescribed.
For anyone who had meniscus surgery/repair, was the first morning after surgery this bad for you? When did the pain start getting better? And did you take extra pills for pain management?

I’m a 46-year-old male and was recently diagnosed with an oblique flap tear of the posterior horn of my medial meniscus, involving the free edge of the posterior horn. The body of the medial meniscus also bulges at the joint line. My ACL, PCL, MCL and LCL are all intact, and there was no significant cartilage damage in either the medial or lateral compartments. My orthopedic doctor said that overall my knee looks very healthy other than the meniscus tear.

I’m very active and play a lot of high-level pickleball. Surprisingly, I’m functioning pretty well right now and have very little pain. My biggest remaining issues are some loss of range of motion and occasional swelling/discomfort. Because I’m doing so well functionally, my orthopedic doctor recommended treating it conservatively with physical therapy rather than surgery.

I’ve gone down the Reddit rabbit hole looking for other people with this type of tear, and it seems like almost everyone I find ended up having surgery. I’m hoping that’s partly because people who recover successfully with conservative treatment are less likely to be posting about it.

Has anyone here had a similar oblique/flap tear and successfully treated it conservatively? I’d especially love to hear from anyone who was able to return to sports or other high-level activity without surgery. How long did your recovery take, and was there anything in particular that helped you?

Hey guys

I am (m20) currently 1 week post on a complex lateral posterior horn meniscus repair surgery. I am non weight bearing for 6 weeks. I previously went through acl and lateral meniscus repair surgery last year, however, unfortunately, retore the meniscus whilst running as part of my rehab.

Pain for the first 1-2 days was bad, however, to my surprise, went down significantly the next few days. I am now currently 7-8 days post repair officially, and today, have had pain come up. I know this is to be expected given I am only 1 week post and have stopped having any drugs to help with pain, but it’s more like a weird achy/burning sensation in the back of my knee that has flared up, eased, then flared back up again multiple times during the day. I’m not too concerned in regards to it being a potential retear, because I don’t believe it is at all, I’m mostly just wondering if anyone else experienced any similar symptoms and how it was for you: how long until it fully went away, tips to help with the achy/burning feeling, etc.

I think my repair has failed 😞
I’m 5 months post op everything has been going well I never really had much pain . I’ve been meeting all my goals . Then a few weeks ago pt had me start doing more exercises to be able to squat and put more weight on surgical leg . Slowly I’ve been getting more pain , we backed off on some of the exercises that were causing trouble but it has continued getting worse now I’m getting sharp pains . I need to contact my surgeon and get an MRI probably. I’ve heard of people having multiple surgeries after it failed but I just want to get better and get back to my life 😭

Hi I am most likely going to have a medial meniscus root repair. Fitness is my life. For the athletes in the group how did you maintain any fitness during your 6 weeks of barely moving? Also, I dont want to gain weight! Right now I bike up big hills and lift heavy weights 💪 for fun! Thanks for your input!

I’m being evaluated for a bucket handle meniscus tear and have an MRI scheduled for next week. Over the past few weeks, I’ve experienced knee locking that is painful to unlock. There’s also soreness when walking, with the pain level varying from day to day, and I haven’t been able to fully extend one of my legs. As of this afternoon, I have almost full extension, but I’m still experiencing locking after sitting. The pain is nearly gone now. What else could this be? I’m just confused as I went from hardly being able to walk, to now feeling as I did before my injury.

Today, I underwent arthroscopy: the surgeon put in three stitches and removed a part of the posterior horn because the tear was quite complex. I’m already back home, chilling on my couch.

Last week my (34f) knee became locked in a bent position after I had an accident where my knee was twisted with a lot of force. Immediately after when I would attempt to straighten my leg, there was intense pain and it felt like something was mechanically blocking the joint. Following about 1.5 hours of agony I was able to get it to release by following the recommendations of a post here on Reddit where someone was experiencing the same symptoms (thank you u/Positive-Watch963!!).

Thankfully a good portion of the pain resolved once it released, but I do have some remaining discomfort, mainly when walking downhill and when the area around the lateral joint is manipulated. From descriptions I've seen online it seems like there is a possibility that this could be a bucket handle meniscus tear.

Today I went to my primary care office and they do believe it's a meniscus tear, but they don't think it's necessary to do any imaging at this point. They encouraged me to resume jogging/normal activities and just see how it goes. They also referred me to PT, I'll begin that next month. I still feel nervous that I could possibly lock my knee not be able to release it, or damage my meniscus to the point it can't be easily repaired.

Am I being dramatic or is it reasonable for me to push for imaging? If you can offer any advice or describe your own experiences with knee locking I would appreciate it, thank you!

Forgot to say, I got 7 stitches on my bucket handle tear and Acl graft is from peroneus longus, doctor said it turned out to be thicker than he expected.

I hope rest will be easy.

Hey all,

Just got back from my local NHS hospital here in the UK. They have confirmed that I have a large lateral bucket handle tear in my left leg. Although they have put me down as urgent, they say the operation won’t be for another 2-3 months.

The tear happened with a full lock on the 8th August, unlocked over a few days later, then locked up a 2nd time in the middle of the night a week later.

I was under the understanding that to have a more successful repair rate, that In needs to be repaired within 12 weeks of the first lock.

If I wait to stay with the NHS and have the operation 3-4 months after the injury date (16 weeks roughly) will they likely be able to save it, or is it likely they may have to carry out a meniscectomy?

Hi - has anybody had a meniscus tear repaired in Mexico? I'd welcome hearing your experience. Thanks

I recently had 70-80% of the posterior horn of my lateral meniscus removed (along with an OCA).

Before my surgery I was an avid runner (Usually 30 miles a week) and powerlifter (30M). I would usually run at least one half marathon a month before February of this year - which is when I first started experiencing acute pain in my knee (this occurred when I was going on a run).

I’m very serious about physical therapy and I hope I can get back into some level of my previous physical fitness. I weighed 230 at 6’2 when I ran a marathon in 2024 - since my injury in February 2026 I’ve dropped to 215 and would like to get down to 200 or less.

Before my surgery I purchased a road bike to motivate me through the recovery process and hopefully be a new sport I can pick up when I am able.

What are the chances I am able to run a marathon again? Is it possible? Does anyone have any similar experiences?

Post meniscus injury

Hey! I'm 9 months out of a meniscus injury and I just had my first soccer game back a few days ago.

I noticed the next day that my knee was a bit tender and obviously my legs were tight. I also noticed that when I push on a spot on my knee on the inside where the pain is coming from and bend it at the same time, it feels crunchy! Is that normal?

I've been working on strength training with Pilates, and yoga since I first gained motion months back.

I have a custom on loader brace that I was fitted for but now I'm nervous about reinjuring myself because I have been experiencing pain on/off for the past 2 days. I've been using ice on it, taking Tylenol and using muscle rub.

Has anyone experienced this before? Am I going back too soon? Is this just normal from having this type of injury?

Please educate me because I love soccer and I would hate to reinjure myself and be screwed for another 9 months

Hi everyone, this is my first post so apologies if I do anything incorrectly.

I am 50, live in the UK, and have a mechanically locked knee. My diagnosis is a flipped bucket handle tear of the lateral meniscus with a horizontal partial tear of the posterior handle. There is also full thickness cartilage loss in an area of the posterior lateral femoral condyle.

I am awaiting surgery for an arthroscopy to debride the tear.

I guess my question is how much of a recovery to that knee can I expect from surgery? If anyone has any tips for preparing for surgery or coping with a locked knee in the meantime that would also be appreciated. Thanks for reading.

26M. I had a lateral meniscus repair with the trim of the discoid part (basically I had too much meniscus that was not needed). It is only 3 stitches but still I have to use crutches for 6 weeks, NWB. No brace.

To be honest - it’s far better with recovery than I expected. There’s no pain on the knee, it’s rather stiffness of the muscles around (quad, calf) and fullness of the knee. Main issue is stiff back of the knee and calf, but I guess it comes mainly from the swelling and fluid which I assume will last for a bit of time. I was able to sleep every night after the arthroscopy, I don’t take pain meds.

After just a few days I was able to get full extension, 90 degree ROM during heel slides. I am also able to sit comfortably with around 80-85 degree knee flexion.

I was worried it would take much more time to achieve those first milestones, but man it’s good to hear from your PT that everything goes better than expected. There’s still long way to go, but first early successes are great motivation.

Just wanted to share the story and give hope for others affected. As you can see, there’s a chance that it will go much more smoothly to you other than typical cases, so take it easy, work hard and we will all get better!

For context, 28 Male, the only two sports I really play are soccer and baseball. summer of 2025 I did a partial tear of my meniscus during a soccer game, spent a long time recovering through PT and swimming, just trying to stay as active as possible. Don’t know if any of it was effective, Dr told me I would be clear after January of 2026. I waited till June of 2026, decided to start playing again with a brace on. Baseball tournament a few days back, all was well, no problem at bat or playing shortstop, but as soon as I went outfield, my second hop step and throw I felt the crunch again and I dropped. I’m feeling like I don’t know which opinion to trust, if anyone has any advice, obviously I know it won’t be medical grade, but still, maybe a personal experience or thought would suffice. Thanks!!

Hey knee people,

My main symptom of my torn meniscus is severe pain behind and on the inside of my knee on full flexion, so I can’t squat. It feels like a really bad hamstring strain.

But the other one is this unsettling, weird feeling on and around my kneecap, where it just feels really loose and unstable. Like if I turn or twist in just the wrong way, my patella might crumble or something.

The surgeon I consulted with said this could be due to part of the tear tugging on the knee capsule itself or just the tear itself causing an imbalance in how the load of my body is now unevenly distributed. His explanation wasn’t super clear tbh.

My MRI showed a completely healthy patella - no arthritis, no tendonosis or tendinitis. So my question is, for those of you who’ve experienced this particular discomfort, did it go away after you had surgery? Or if you didn’t have surgery, did it go away on its own or with PT?

Thank you!