Can't believe it has been 8 years since my revision meniscus transplant. Still catching balls from my son (something I treasure), working out, playing tons of golf, and all with minimal to no pain! Hoping for at least 8 more! Ongoing thanks to the Stone Clinic's amazing team for putting me back together!
Seven years since my meniscus transplant revision. While that battered ol' knee isn't perfect, I generally can do anything I want pain free. I continue to do what I want, play hard for a 50 year old, and don't feel any restrictions. For those out there going through it, hang in there, do the rehab, and know you are going to get great results. Big thanks to the Stone Clinic, and mostly to the donor who's meniscus played hockey, wake boarded, walked more than a thousand holes of golf, coached football, and continues to live on in my knee.
First, I found a low impact treadmill at my gym, and that was going to be most of my runs. Despite the fact treadmills can be terribly boring, I felt concrete was just not good for me. I found a couch to 10K app, and decided I would follow it to the letter. My first run was literally 1:30 running and 2 mins of walking for 15 minutes. The first few runs were overly easy, and I felt no pain in either knee. However, as soon as I got into the 5 minute plus runs, I was gasping for air, I was very discouraged that I had fallen that much out of running shape. As the runs got longer, I did experience some knee pain, but nothing more than I would get from a hike over uneven surfaces. The runs got easier, and the pains started to lessen. By the 12th week I ran 7+ miles while on vacation (the views made the run go by without me even realizing how far I'd gone) pain free. I was actually enjoying the runs. The race was set for October 2, 2021 in Dallas.
We did everything wrong in prepping for the race (plane ride, late night, and bad food all the day before), but we rallied to the start line. Honestly, the run was awesome until mile 4. I had no knee pain for the first 4 miles, but the humidity made for some very slick trail surfaces, and my knee started acting up a bit as I struggled getting traction in places. I started favoring the MT leg, and that caused some hip pain (never had it before). However, I wanted to finish what I started, and my sister was an amazing partner. Despite the nasty humidity, my knee and hip, we finished with smiles on our faces (well, after we had some water and realized we were done). In any event, I'm running, after two MTs, and 5 surgeries on that knee, I'm running. I have decided to keep it at 4 miles for my longest runs, stay on low impact treadmills for the most part, and will stop if I feel like I'm getting any unusual knee pain, but at 49 years old I'm a runner. As I write this, I can't help but think about sitting in my bed in pain in the days after my last MT, locked in a knee brace with the ice machine flowing, just hoping to walk again. I'm so proud of the hard work of my team (Dr. Stone, my PTs, and myself) in how far I've come. No limits. Happy knee health people, and good luck!
5 ago today, I had my revised medial meniscus transplant, and I'm still feeling pretty good. I'm getting older, so aches and pains are a reality with very active lifestyle. My knee feels pretty good most of the time, although I have a little pain developing in the area of my transplant. Hope its just been pushed too hard lately. I've hard enough surgery for a lifetime on this knee, and I can live with a little twinge here and there. This is a relatively new development, but nothing is catching, and it's manageable without any pain meds other than an occasional Advil. I've hung up my hockey skates for good, not because of my knee, but because the contact I loved so much became hard to recover from after each game. I spend more time in the gym and on the golf course than ever, and my knee doesn't hold me back. I did a little wake boarding this year, and really enjoy wake surfing. I think wake surfing is a new sport that is very safe for my knees, and loved it. I don't really limit anything because of my knee, but the reality is my lifestyle has become a little less aggressive athletically as I approach 50. I'm always looking for a new challenge, so who knows what is next. I'm so thankful that I've been able to compete after my MTs pain free, and I have a memories that will last forever that would not have happened without this surgery. Happy healing folks.
