Torn meniscus pain...can someone describe in detail?

Sore Knees wrote:

Anyone here who has experienced a torn meniscus, specifically medial: Can you describe what the pain felt like? Has anyone with a torn medial meniscus experience numbness/tingling/burning sensations around the medial aspect of the knee or was it just straight up joint line pain?

Don't remember any sensations like those when I tore my medial menisci (both legs). It was more a deep ache right at the joint line with some swelling around the knee as a whole, especially during the first few days after the tear.

More recently, I managed to inflame the tibial collateral ligament, which is attached to the meniscus, just below the medial joint line. The bursa between that the ligament and the tibia may also have been inflamed. A few days off, stretching, and a strong anti-inflammatory solved the problem. The symptoms of that didn't include tingling or burning, though, either.

I tore my medial meniscus a few years back. Can't remember the excat feelings but when I went to the doctor he said the best self test you can do is try to squat like a cacther in baseball. If you can not squat or it is really painful then most likely a tear.

Good luck.

Sorry to say, that doesn't sound like a torn meniscus...

I had a mild tear, which was able to heal over about 3-4 years. Basically, it felt like a real slow ache that would develop in the knee during a run. It was irritated by hills, and really bothered me on slippery days (wet roads).

It was a dull pain every time I touched down on the leg.

Other people have had more severe concoctions of pain. But, the catcher's position thing is correct. If you can get down and back without too much difficulty, you probably don't have an issue. If your knee "catches" at some point, there's probably a tear.

Good luck with it all, please keep us informed.

I tore mine sometime in the winter. I only started running again in May.

With mine, i was not able to run at all. Once i took a few steps it felt like a knive poking at the inside of my knee. I passed all the test my doctors put me through. I had full rotation of knee. When the MRI results came back, it showed a tear on both sides. Pain around the kneecap was one of the symptoms.

Go see a doctor and get it checked out. Better safe then sorry. If it is in fact torn, See what your options are. I regret have surgery. I had so many things go wrong after surgery. Opt for the Physical Therapy. But hopefully it doesnt come to that. Hopefully its just tendnitis.

Thanks for the quick replies, fellas!

I actually can squat without any kind of problem.

One thing I forgot to mention is that I'm having medial joint line tenderness and pain. If I press my finger down the medial joint line, it really hurts above, below and smack dab in the middle. Is it reasonable to infer that the pain of knee tendinitis can manifest in the joint line area? I always thought it was more of a "near the kneecap" thing.

I have the same sensation as you of tingling at the back of my knee. I did get an MRI and do in fact have a medial meniscus tear. I am also concerned if the tear is leading to nerve issues that are causing the tingling. Currently i am doing some physitherapy, and now considering going in for surgery.. What did you do for your pain and symptoms?

Tore mine last fall, pain was mostly in the back of the knee. Also lots of pain in the upper calf due to a baker's cyst that formed due to the swelling from the torn meniscus. (Did I mention swelling, LOTS of swelling after the tear.)

Had surgery in Jan, just now back to doing some steady running.

Have a torn medial meniscus (diagnosed with an MRI scan), was very painful for over 6 months. Joint line pain, tender to the touch and hurt with every step to run. The baseball catcher position was impossible. No tingling burning or clicking.

I had tendinitis of the medial retinaculum on the same knee and it sounds more like what you are describing.