meniscus

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gregor
Posts: 21
Joined: Fri Aug 07, 2009 5:09 am
Location: germany

meniscus

Post by gregor »

Dear Bernie,

I posted something here in the forum some months ago about strained knees and you gave me a very helpful reply which changed my yoga practice in a very effective way.
To know what kind of knee issue i have, since it did not completely resolve, i went to a specialist who checked one knee and who will check the other soon.
i obviously tore the meniscus deeply and got the advise to undergo a surgery in order to avoid arthritis.
i would like to know, whether the meniscus can grow together again and whether there are other ways to get there then a surgery?

by the way i got your book and its the best i read on yoga so far! thanks!

Namasté,
Gregor
Bernie
Posts: 1293
Joined: Sat Sep 23, 2006 2:25 am
Location: Vancouver

Post by Bernie »

Hi Gregor - a couple of years ago we had a nice discussion on this topic in the forum. You may find it valuable to read these posts at http://www.yinyoga.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=81.

As to your specific question, can the meniscus regrow? There is a lot of research into this area right now. So far, only experiments, nothing practical that we can use. Some researchers are using scaffolds to allow cartilage to regrow. I don't believe these are in the public domain yet.

In the category of "alternative" therapy, there are other processes being tried, including prolotheraphy (where a bit of sugar water is injected into the site of the injury to stimulate inflammation - see http://www.caringmedical.com/sports_inj ... injury.asp) and scoring (where the cartilage is deliberated scratched to stimulate the body's own repair mechanisms.)

By itself, the meniscus will not regrow (see the discussion in the earlier posts.)

Let us know how your research goes!
Cheers
Bernie

ps - glad you are enjoying YinSights!
orange blossom
Posts: 7
Joined: Fri May 27, 2011 3:15 am
Location: north carolina

prolotheraphy

Post by orange blossom »

Hello, I've been reading through the posts and thought i would share my experience with "prolotheraphy" and a torn meniscus ...

A number of years ago i tore the medial meniscus in my right knee playing volleyball. It hurt, locked swelled, etc...there was no way to ignore it. I was instantly disabled. Diagnosis was via some sort of imaging, would they have x-rayed first? and than done and MRI? I don't remember the exact process there but in the end, the sports medicine Drs at the Duke clinic down the road ended up recommending surgery...

I was resistant, hesitant, leery of surgery... and looked into alternative treatments and other options. The surgery seemed to offer increased risks of arthritis down the road and seemed potentially short term. I found a local dr, an osteopath who i had seen before, who said he has had some luck with prolotherapy... after checkig it out a bit I decided to try that route. It took a full year (really more for me to get pain free and the full range of motion back) but my knee recovered! Completely! I now have full ROM and am pain free in the knee... Because of the slow recovery however, I have always harbored a little skepticism re the role of prolotherapy... Was it the prolotherapy or patience, time tenderness, etc..?? Don't know. I worked hard to avoid surgery, I had to change my yoga practice, and my play and exercise ... I had to let go of a lot of things and listen to my body... and fight with my mind and pain at times... The good news is the proloT treatment didn't seem to make anything worse (as far as I could see) and certainly may have helped.


( Medical Tales of Horror. As an aside, I have the urge to share this story too. A few years earlier, I broke the 5th metatarsal in my right foot, also playing volleyball. It was a weekend accident so I ended up at the emergency room and in a temporary cast. I was told to follow-up and make an apt with a orthopedic/sports drs asap.. So I made the appointment. Interestingly enough, that same weekend there was a story in the news about a duke basketball player who broke the 5th metatarsal of his foot ( cool, same bone)... he was expected back on the court playing in a week or two. I was uplifted by the story and was looking forward to a quick and complete recovery.

And then I meet my Dr., an orthopedic, and he feaked me out. His treatment plan for me was to put my foot in a hard cast for x-weeks, now I don't recall the exact number of weeks suggested - but I'm sure it was 6-8 weeks min. This was bad news. I didn't want to be in a cast, it seemed really inconvenient, I'm active, i teach and practice yoga, i play volleyball, i drive a stick, I had company that week, what about bathing??? eeks. This wasn't what i wanted to hear. Innocently, (by chance) i asked the dr why the duke player was going to be running up and down the basket ball court in a week or so and why i was going to be in a cast? Reasonably enough, the dr says, "well, i can't say, i haven't seen his x-ray." This is where the story gets weirder, a question or two later i learn the that the doctor hasn't seen my x-ray either.. Now my eyes are widening... what! According to this dr it is 'standard protocol to just put a cast on a broken foot (5th metarsal) without looking at the x-ray. I was outraged, indignant, stubborn and I said i wasn't going to do it and started to leave.. He stopped me... suddenly reconsidered, offered me a 'boot' ... The guy never looked at my x-ray as far as i can tell.. I used the boot, its now up in my attic, however, this incident still upsets me. I feel i was lucky to have heard about the basketball player otherwise i would not have known to question the dr...
I find it hard to believe that drs, shouldn't look at each case individually before treating.... scary. )


namaste
donna
Bernie
Posts: 1293
Joined: Sat Sep 23, 2006 2:25 am
Location: Vancouver

Personal experience

Post by Bernie »

Wow - that is quite a story. It just reinforces the belief that doctors are part of our health care team, but they should never be put in charge. They are advisors or coaches, but you must always take final responsibility for deciding what you do with and to your own body.

Your experience with prolotheraphy is quite interesting. When I had my knee operations, it took me ~6 months to get back to "normal" so your 12 month journey is not so bad. I too was warned about eventual arthritis, but so far - no signs of it! I think doing Yin Yoga all the time has put back that day.

Thanks for sharing
orange blossom
Posts: 7
Joined: Fri May 27, 2011 3:15 am
Location: north carolina

continued menicus health

Post by orange blossom »

My parents avoided doctors and at times i thought they were silly and stubborn.... however over the years I've had a handful of experiences with health care providers (traditional and alternative types) that have made me see the wisdom in their thinking... avoid doctors if you can!

I hope your knee and meniscus continue to thrive..(mine too!)

ciao,
donna
matimessager
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Nov 02, 2012 1:07 am
Location: Canada

Amazing results with Prolotherapy

Post by matimessager »

I wanted to share with you that I had a treatment which was a `miracle cure`for my knee. Just to put you in context, I've had knee problems all my life but early February I had another knee injury when my knee blocked making it impossible to extend or bend my leg. My whole joint was very painful and I strained my ACL. To make a long story short, I tried everything as far as treatments and supplements with very little relief.

Last Monday, I had a prolotherapy injection which cured me within 24 hrs.
I'm sending you the link so you can investigate. It works on the connective tissue and that's why I'm sharing with you.

So much is going on right now with connective tissue discovery...

http://prolotherapyhealing.com/

Mati
admin
Site Admin
Posts: 69
Joined: Sun Jan 29, 2006 7:41 am

More research on artificial cartilage

Post by admin »

Bio-tech continues to develop stronger, more pliable, and yet still lubricating alternatives to our natural cartilage. Here is an article describing one such effort by Duke University engineers.
Bernie
Posts: 1293
Joined: Sat Sep 23, 2006 2:25 am
Location: Vancouver

Placebo knee surgeries work just as well as real surgery

Post by Bernie »

Dr Bruce Lipton (author of Biology of Belief) mentions in his talks a similar study done by a surgeon in Texas years ago, but this Finnish study is broader. The conclusion of this study is "Patients who underwent arthroscopic partial meniscectomy -- knee surgery -- had the same recovery and satisfaction levels as those who underwent a placebo surgery."
Bernie
Posts: 1293
Joined: Sat Sep 23, 2006 2:25 am
Location: Vancouver

How to modify the Yin Yoga for the Knees posture

Post by Bernie »

Recently I received this email:

I am fairly certain I have left knee pain in my medial meniscus caused by too tight hips. My right knee is no problem and I can do extreme flexion on that side. I am trying your Yin Yoga for Knees practice. I can do positions one and three, but two is too difficult for my left knee. How should I proceed?

1) Should I just do positions one and three and try position two a little further down the road?

I am fairly flexible EXCEPT for my hips. It is weird. I am flexible and gain more flexibility easily EXCEPT for my hips. I know it is because I sit so much. When I was younger my hips were very open in my twenties (I did ballet), and then I went back to school in my forties and I am sitting a lot.

2) What do you suggest for a hip opener?

Thanks, Sharon


Hi Sharon - If position two just doesn't work for you, skip it. But do have a bit of a break between position one and three. I would suggest you do a "position two" without any doweling - just sit on your heels for a minute, then go to position three. Studies have shown that the cyclical stressing of the cartilage is effective at rebuilding it. So, by taking that one minute break between positions one and three, you are giving your chondrocytes, the cells that create cartilage, time to recharge and get ready for the next stress.

For your hips, I have talked to this several times in the past and you may want to check out these threads. Basically, the best thing you can do is to get off your chair and sit on the floor as often as you can. When we sit in chairs, we tend to keep our legs together. Our hips sockets start to shrinkwrap to this reduced range of motion and we lose our natural flexibility in the hips as well as the spine. It is not surprising that modern living has resulted in large number of people suffering lower back problems and reduced hip mobility as they age.

However! Sitting on the floor can reverse these negative effects of sitting in chairs. Start slowly, but over the months to come spend more and more time on the floor. Read while in Sphinx pose, eat at your coffee table instead of your dining table, talk on the phone while on the floor. Find more and more excuses to get down, and to get healthier. Living on the floor is simply extending your Yin Yoga practice into daily life!

I hope this helps!
Bernie
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