I injured my knee 6 months ago. Dioagnosed as meniscus tear. For some time I experienced occasional sharp pains explained as torn pieces of cartilage catching between bones in the joint. Arthroscopy reccommended. The instances of sharp pain have declined, none for over 2 months, but I still walk with a limp. What are the chances of removing the limp with surgery, relative to the risk of infection?I do not want to have painful surgery for no real gain, and a big risk of making the limp worse.
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I am honored to assist you. My answers are for information purposes only. They don’t substitute for a visit to a doctor’s office. Doctor/patient relationship is not established.
It will be very high to remove the limp with the surgery. Postoperative infection is rare.
Rather failure to treat the tear may lead to progressive damage and a lost opportunity for surgical repair.
Experience: Trained in multiple medical fields for many years.
Assuming there are no other problems with your knee, an arthroscopy should cure the limp. Risk of infection is about 1:1000. Surgery is very unlikely to make you worse. Recovery from arthroscopy is usually pretty quick and it is not usually that painful. I hope this helps
Experience: private practice general orthopedics for 13+ years in the Southeast US
Thanks for the answer with the qualifyer...I do have moderate to severe arthritis in both knees. I know arthroscopy will not cure this, and I am worried that surgery will exacerbate the arthritic decline. I am 64 and working full time, and need to continue for some years yet.