No Meniscus

[sidd]

Hi Rip, I am sorry to bother you with yet another meniscus question. I have only found your answers to older folks with advanced arthritis - not my case yet. I am 24.

I have just found out that my last year's arthroscopy wasn't a partial meniscectomy as I thought and hoped. I asked my ortho more specifically last week and he told me that the medial meniscus was actually so damaged that most of it must have been cut out. During my rehab last year I found out about SS, got into it and brought my squat to 250 lbs so far. No pain so far.

Well, a knee missing most of its meniscus is bad enough on its own, and I am afraid you would advise against squatting in my case, right?

[Mark Rippetoe]

Under normal circumstances, yes. But you're having no pain at 250, right?

[sidd]

Right. Sometimes I get a hint of pain on the medial side from time to time, but only like 2/10. Nothing regular, hopefully signs of bad technique. 160 lbs PCs are also OK, but I'm going to stay away from them from now on.

So shall I just listen to my knee? Maybe squat less often? I don't want to accelerate the whole arthritis and replacement thing, but being weak might just do the same. I guess I am on a thin ice here, right?

[Mark Rippetoe]

Listen to your knee and make damned sure you keep a correct neutral relationship between femoral and tibial condyles, i.e. straight knees when you squat.

[idlehands]

Matt Sohmner squats with a torn meniscus, and other knee issues. Something like 800lbs squat and 700 lbs deadlift.

[Mark Rippetoe]

See there? You can too, obviously.

[krazyduck]

I had a torn meniscus that was operated on and partially removed. I squatted all of 4x325 yesterday with no issues.

[sidd]

Yeah, I understand it is completely possible to squat much more than I am squatting right now. I was just asking if squatting could do more harm than good in the absence of a meniscus (partial removal is a much different thing from what I have read). A knee without a meniscus is non-functional in my opinion and the forces are concentrated on a much smaller area. The question is - would years of heavy squatting aggravate the condition? Even Rip was careful with approving squatting in such situations in older threads. I am squatting for health, not for the sake of squatting.

[Cody]

I have torn both my menisci, a grade 3 tear to my left MCL and a grade 2 tear to my right ACL, all in the past 6 or 7 years. There is a recent form check video for my 3x5 squats at 405 lbs in the coaches forum. My knees are stronger and more stable now than at any other time in my life.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Yeah, I understand it is completely possible to squat much more than I am squatting right now. I was just asking if squatting could do more harm than good in the absence of a meniscus (partial removal is a much different thing from what I have read). A knee without a meniscus is non-functional in my opinion and the forces are concentrated on a much smaller area. The question is - would years of heavy squatting aggravate the condition? Even Rip was careful with approving squatting in such situations in older threads. I am squatting for health, not for the sake of squatting.

Let me clarify. Not every meniscus situation will support a big squat. Just because one guy can squat 800 doesn't mean that you can, even with a perfectly good knee. But it doesn't have to mean you stay at 135 either. Wrap when you squat, and pay attention to how it reacts to each workout.