O/T scoping a knee tractor related

fixerupper · Aug 27, 2012

This is the knee on the leg I use on the tractor clutch, and it popped when I stepped up on a tractor so it's tractor related. (how much farther can I stretch my imagination LOL!)

How long is the recovery from having a knee scoped to clean up some torn cartilage? It's about as common as having a haircut, but I'd like to hear from those of you who have had it done, whether it turned out good or bad, just to give me an idea. I've heard it's a quick recovery. Had the offending limb in the MRI today, then saw the orthopedist. He suggested the scope so I told him it had better be soon because harvest is coming. It's going to happen Thurs Aug 30. The corn won't be coming out for a couple of weeks and I think I'll be healed and running by then. The Clay County Fair is coming up soon and I CAN'T miss that. Jim

oldtanker · Aug 27, 2012

Jim I had one 2 years ago the first week of June. Now my knee has been giving me trouble sense 1975. The MRI showed a foreign object in there. Well they got that out, old bone chip encapsulated in cartilage the size of a dice and they cleaned it up the as good as they could. First appointment after I healed they told me you need a new knee. Actual heal time was about 12 weeks I'm sure because of the worn out part. It's all service so I'm still waiting on VA for that new knee.

A few years before taht my #2 daughter had a scope and some torn cartilage cleaned up and she was on crutches for about a week and pretty much back to normal in 2. She still had restriction for anout 4 weeks like jumping, climbing and so on.

If you have it done and it sweels up bad get back in right away. My incisions heal right up and I was back in twice so they could remove fluid from my knee. The doc told me he had a guy he scoped that tried to be a tuff guy and would up with a serious infection because of the fluid not draining.

Good Luck!

Rick

Cliff Nelson · Aug 27, 2012

I had my right knee scoped for torn meniscus in '97. Had the procedure on a thursday, following week off, then back to work. I could walk on it right away. After 3 days did not need pain meds anymore. Took a few weeks for the swelling to go away completely which limited full movement for kneeling during that time. Very pleased with the outcome. I still play volleyball once in a while but no more leagues. It makes you think about how you do things that may stress the knee.

huntingreen2day2 · Aug 27, 2012

Had both of mine done. Off work for a month and if it had been a standing job it would have been longer. Still have the same problems I did before the scope. Had the roster cone shots also.

Goose · Aug 27, 2012

I've never had it done, but my wife did several years ago as a result of a traffic accident. (Hit her knee on the dash beside the steering column).

As I recall, she was on crutches for a day, then found out a cane worked better than the crutches. Used the cane for a few days and went back to work a couple weeks later.

DEEREMEYER1 · Aug 27, 2012

It just depends on what they do. "Scoping" is the type of surgical process - going in through small incisions rather than a big one. I've had knee surgery both ways. There are a lot of different procedures they do orthroscopically or however it's spelled. I was in an immobilizer and on crutches for several weeks when I had my knee "scoped". They did more than they usally do that way hoping to avoid a major rebuild later, but it didn't take and I had it cut all the way open and major work done a couple years after. THAT sucked, especially the part where after literally not bending my knee for 6 weeks or so and having it sliced and diced and screwed, I slipped on the ice and folded it underneath me. No damage, but it hurt like nothing I'd felt before or have since, and my response to someone calling me a pansy and faker nearly got me kicked out of school. He was lucky I couldn't walk, lol.

Anonymous-0 · Aug 28, 2012

I had total knee replacement and back to work in 4 weeks.

MarkB_MI · Aug 28, 2012

If you absolutely need to be able to get around in two weeks, you're taking a gamble by doing it now, and you might very well end up with a knee just as bad as it is now. The recuperation time will vary a great deal depending on how much work the doctor does, and he won't know until he gets in there. You need to have a very frank talk with your orthopedist. Explain to him that you have harvest coming up and need full mobility in two weeks. Describe the activities you'll be doing (climbing on and off combines, operating vehicles with manual transmissions, etc.) and the hours you'll be working. I suspect he will recommend you postpone the surgery until after harvest.

Another thing to consider is rehab. Will you be able to take a couple of hours off two or three days a week during harvest? Are you going to be able to take it easy the rest of the day as the swelling goes down? I didn't think so. Again, you need to grill your doctor. Keep in mind that your surgery will make the payment on his Bonanza this month.

doubleN · Aug 28, 2012

I concur w/ what Cliff said below. Had mine done on both sides. About the same time frame as Cliff's. My only advice would be to do any physical therapy religiously. If you don't you could end up w/ some loss of range of motion (like I did.)

unclemerle · Aug 28, 2012

Had mine done 2 years ago in Oct. Was told by the Doc to stay off it for two weeks as that is the most critical time for recovery. Did that and it feels great today 100% recovery.

fixerupper · Aug 28, 2012

Lots of good answers. Thank you. Nothing real definitive, but at least I know more about it now than I did before. The doc told me I'd be back to work the following monday, but in the next sentence he said it might not work. This guy goes right to the point when he gives the options. If this doesn't work, knee replacement is next, in fact knee replacement is sometime in the future regardless. I hope it's far into the future!!

My crops are custom harvested, but I work for them driving truck and being the general swing man so I'm on my feet a lot. If the doc does find more and it lays me up for awhile it's going to be more of a loss for them than for me and I don't want that to happen. Getting in and out of the truck and up and down in the grain cart tractor, along with running the clutch won't be much fun if I don't have the scoping, so I'm weighing the odds. Jim

caterpillar guy · Aug 28, 2012

I had my left one done a year ago in Feb and the other done a year ago this august. Both have been fine. Did feel it very much going down an incline like a ramp or slope in the drive way. would hurt in the knee. Some of that might have been due to my activity afterward. When I had the first one done I got in the semi 2 days later to satisfy some previously made obligations then came home and recouped. The second one I was out baling hay a week later.
Do have them set you up with the machine at home . It is a refrigeration machine that wraps around the knee and cools it to reduce swelling and pain. I never took the pain meds.
Where are you at I can give you the doctors name to see. He is great for this and does a lot of sports medicine work(football) and such.

dhermesc · Aug 28, 2012

Depends on your pain tolerence.

My younger brother had a cow charge him while he was herding with his 4 wheeler. Sent both him and the 4 wheeler flying. He got up and the his leg hurt alot but he put the 4 wheeler back on its wheels and finished herding his cows and limped on it for a month. He finally went to the doctor a couple years later (stiff and popping a lot at age 30) he had torn his ACL in two. I see "big tough" football players carried off the field crying after the same injury and taking a year to recover.

olliekid · Aug 28, 2012

I had a scope done on my knee and doctor told my parents to throw my crutches away from me on day 2. It was a real struggle, but you have to put the crutches away quick if you want the knee to get better. I had my MCL repaired and my meniscus removed in my scope.

JMS/.MN · Aug 28, 2012

Here"s a hand clutch lever I made when I broke my ankle in 2000. Cost about 5 bucks to make each one, for three field tractors. Doesn"t interfere with able-bodied person driving the tractor.

notjustair · Aug 28, 2012

I had one done 12 years ago or so. The dr said that I needed to work hard at getting it moving because having them help wasn't any fun. I got off the crutches in two days and got better pretty quick. It was still nearly a year before I could squat without some planning. That was the only part I thought was slow. Heck, I can't squat anymore so working at it did me no good!

You will be fine around the barnyard in a week or so. I don't think you will be driving harvest trucks unless they have automatics. Maybe their equipment is lots newer than mine. When my truck was built they would have laughed at such a thing.

O/T scoping a knee tractor related

fixerupper

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oldtanker

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Cliff Nelson

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huntingreen2day2

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Goose

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DEEREMEYER1

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Anonymous-0

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MarkB_MI

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doubleN

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unclemerle

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fixerupper

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caterpillar guy

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dhermesc

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olliekid

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JMS/.MN

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notjustair

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