Would it require surgery? Any docs to give opinion?

Question

My husband, 32 years old, had been suffering with right knee pain and instability for almost 3 months now. Although we have an appointment with the doctor want to know what he would suggest. His MRI report reads as following:
* Menisci: A large tear is seen involving the posterior horn and body of the medial meniscus. A .5cm meniscus cyst is also seen. The lateral meniscus is intact.
*Bony structure and articular cartilage: Minimal edema is seen involving the most medial aspect and medial compartment. No fractures are seen.
*Joint space: Moderate joint effusion is present.
*Soft tissue:: Unremarkable.
We got the MRI done when he was unable to walk for a day and there was swelling around the knee. Although now the swelling is not there and the pain lessened considerably , but if he walks fast the pain resumes.Is it possible for him to travel (a 20 hr flight) in this condition? Would surgery be necessary? Thanks

Answer 1

I'm not a doctor, but I have unfortunately had to learn a lot about knees because of several surgeries.

Knee surgery is elective - your husband can choose to put up with the pain, and hope the problem heals on its own, or get it fixed now. The meniscus doesn't heal very well on its own, and a .5 cm cyst is pretty big, so its likely that his knee would continue to deteriorate and eventually become arthritic without surgery.

Travel risks with injuries or following surgery are primarily related to clotting. The damage to the knee is in the cartilage, which doesn't present any risks for travel since the cartilage doesn't have any blood vessels. The surgery to correct this problem could pose a risk of clotting if the cyst needs to be removed by conventional surgery involving a large incision. If a large incision is needed, your doc might recommend staying a night or two in a motel before the return flight. If the surgery is done with an arthroscope, there is little trauma or bleeding, so clotting is generally not a risk. Be sure to tell the doc about the long flight - he/she might want to prescribe an anticoagulant to prevent clotting problems.

Before purchasing plane tickets, it would be a good idea to find out from the doc if a motel stay is likely to be needed, so you can make reservations and pack enough clothes and reading material.

Answer 2

the 20 hour flight may be a bad idea. He probably needs to ahve surgery to fix the tear. I think it is unlikley to heal wihtout it.