Knee scope or not?

[adamasay]

So a little history first, I am 41 now and have had varying levels of knee pain since I first started working out 11 years ago.

The pain is localized to the patella and now mostly hurts when coming up from a squat position (sitting, lunges, etc) or whenever direct pressure is applied (kneeling down for say yoga positions).

It got a lot worse and was constant when I tried to become a runner and now that I'm lifting heavy again (3 years now) the pain is mostly just when I described.

I've tried the usual sups and NSAID's, i use sleeves and wrap at 90%+, i have tried numerous rehab routines, but nothing seems to get me past the point I am now.

I went to the ortho and he showed me a point in my ROM where the knee cap goes over a bump and gave me three options, nothing/NSAID's (he said that most likely if i could handle the pain no more damage would be done), try a Cortisol injection to see if that helps the pain or a scope to remove the bump.

He made it sound like it wasn't a big deal to do the scope and that I would be back 100% in weeks.

I've never been a guy that looks for a surgical option and i put this visit off for at least 5 years, but the pain is directly affecting my favorite lifts and my progression so i need to do something if i want to move forward in my training.

I would love to here your input on my situation.

[Dag]

... (he said that most likely if i could handle the pain no more damage would be done)....

I don't think docs sometimes realize how painful knee pain is when you actually do something....like lift weights.

[MattBraunstein]

First thing would be to have your squat form reviewed by an SSC. Just make sure you have no issues there. You don't want to go through it if you don't need to.

I had a knee scope about 4 years ago. I had a sharp stabbing pain in my knee at a specific angle. Once irritated, it would progressively get worse until I couldn't even walk up stairs without any pain. It was diagnosed for years as patellar tendonitits. Turns out it was some loose cartilidge on the back of my knee cap that was catching and starting an inflammation process.

It's not a big deal except that it takes longer than the doctor says to completely recover. It took me ~2 months of PT, because of a bleed in my knee that had to be drained after 2 weeks. It was probably 3-4 months before I was walking fairly normal. I didn't know anything about SS at the time, so I wonder if recovery would've been faster with weightlifting instead of all the silly PT exercises.

I was very happy I did it, but was not easy to deal with. The recovery was much longer and harder than the doctor suggested. In the end, it was worth it though.

[adamasay]

I was very happy I did it, but was not easy to deal with. The recovery was much longer and harder than the doctor suggested. In the end, it was worth it though.

This was my exact question, is it worth it, I have no issues with doing the recovery work on the back end if i can get back to a place better than i have now.

It sounds like it worked out well for you.

[adamasay]

I don't think docs sometimes realize how painful knee pain is when you actually do something....like lift weights.

Docs and those 24 Y/O workout partners telling me to bend my knees more :/

[bbuszard]

The recovery was much longer and harder than the doctor suggested. In the end, it was worth it though.

The length is highly variable depending on age and the injury, of course. I had my right knee scoped a dozen years ago after I tore the meniscus. In my mid-30s I was able to get back to biking in under a week. Full recovery was about 8 weeks. My uncle had exactly the same thing done a few years ago when in his 70s (after decades of skiing damage) and he has never recovered the full range of motion. I may have to have it done again in a couple of months (same knee), but it will all depend on the MRI result and prognosis.

[MattBraunstein]

This was my exact question, is it worth it, I have no issues with doing the recovery work on the back end if i can get back to a place better than i have now.

It sounds like it worked out well for you.

It was worth it, but only because the issue was resolved by it. I was just trying to say that you should do every other intervention first to make sure it is necessary. It sounds like you have had an MRI to check for any damage. Is that right? If the MRI doesn't show anything, then it is a complete crapshoot. It may help, or it may not.

I also had a shoulder scope about a year ago, which I now think was not necessary. But because I had so much success with the knee, I went ahead and did it. Even the MRI suggested a possible torn labrum. Turns out there was nothing. What I really needed was to get stronger. I have full ROM, but my shoulders move asymmetrically. I have a hell of a time keeping my elbows even in my squat, which give me some elbow irritation. So this is why I caution you to try everything else first, especially checking your squat form with an SSC who can see small form errors.