Torn Meniscus

What does a torn Meniscus have to do with Type 2 Diabetes? Good question as I never would have thought there was a connection until I found out I had one. I missed a rung on a ladder at a part time job I was working at this past summer. When I came down with heavy parts in my hands, my left leg hit the floor causing me to lose my balance and fall backwards into some shelving. I was more embarrassed than hurt at the time, or so I thought.

As the next two months or so went by, the pain and stiffness in my left knee became a real issue. I was NO longer able to do my squats with the dumb bells which was a major part of my exercise routine to help control my blood glucose levels by using major muscle groups during exercise.

What to do? Until recently I had NOT been to a doctor or chiropractor to have the knee problem diagnosed. I still have NOT had an MRI which is the only sure way to absolutely know if you have a tear in the meniscus and the extent of the tear and whether surgery might be recommended. In my case, I recently went to a chiropractor that I have used for many years on and off. She put both my legs through a range of motion exercises and made notes of which movements aggravated the pain level. Her determination was about 99% sure I had torn my meniscus in my left knee. The bad news is that she was 99% sure I had torn my meniscus........................and the good news is that NOW I KNOW ABOUT IT and can start down the road to recovery. You Improvise, you Adapt, you Overcome.

She gave me a couple of simple exercises along with advice on using ice on the knee. I immediately took her advice and stopped any and all weight bearing squats etc. to give the knee a rest. I also use one of the gel type ice packs on the knee when sitting in my recliner with my feet up. I think the biggest thing that has helped me is sitting in a straight backed chair and raising and extending my foot out and up and then back down. I am doing this probably 50-75 times a day now with maybe 10-15 reps at a time several times throughout the day. The improvement has been DRAMATIC. I have continued my walking and push ups on the stairs etc., and at some point hope to return to some squats with the dumb bells.

I am going to post a couple of links that should you ever find yourself in this situation, you will have a working knowledge of what a torn meniscus is and steps you can take to rectify the situation and get yourself back in the game so to speak.

http://catalog.nucleusinc.com/generateexhibit.php?ID=4118&ExhibitKeywordsRaw=&TL=&A=2

The above link will give you diagrams and an explanation of what a torn meniscus is.

The link below will give you advice on exercises you can do to alleviate the pain and strengthen your knee area.

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/knee-strengthening-exercises-for-torn-meniscus.html

OBVIOUSLY you need to consult a chiropractor or physical therapist FIRST to determine the extent of your injury and to see if you need an MRI and/or possibly surgery,

Dan

Hos 4:6.............My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.

Isa 53:5.............He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.