Knee MRI

[ABN307]

I was wondering if I could an opinion on a recent MRI I had done after I twisted my knee. The following was straight from the MRI report:

FINDINGS: MRI of the knee was performed without intravenous contrast using standard axial, sagittal and coronal sequences.

There is a moderate to severe bone contusion involving the lateral plateau. There is some suggestion of cortical discontinuty, particularly laterl at the tibial plateau, raising the possibility of a nondisplaced tibial plateau fracture. The lateral meniscus is intact. There is a focal high signal involving the free edge of the anterior horn of the medial meniscus, which could represent a tiny radial tear. The remainder of the medial meniscus is intact. The lateral and medial collateral ligaments are intact. The anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments are well visualized and intact. Extensor mechanism is intact. The articular surfaces are intact. A small suprapatellar knee joint effusion is present. The soft tissues are otherwise unremarkable.

IMPRESSION:

1. Moderate to severe contusion, lateral tibial plateau. The possibility of a nondisplaced tibial plateau fracture is raised.
2. Possible tiny radial tear, medial meniscus.
3. Small suprapatellar knee effusion.

I trust the opinion of those who are members on here and have no ulterior motive.

Most of what is written above is foreign to me and wasn;t explained.

My Doc told me: If it starts hurting again, come see me!

Well, it's hurting but, it's hurting behind my knee when I excercise.

Thank you for your time.

[medicerik]

I'll try and explain. Hopefully one of the DOCS or PAs will chime in on this one too.

Knee injuries suck. I dislocated my patella in high school and ended up with six months of rehab.

Findings
1) You have a big bruise over the outer part of the top of the tibia. A big bruise of the periosteum that cover the bone can hurt almost as bad as a fracture.
2) There is a partial sun shaped tear in the medial meniscus. If it continues to give you trouble, surgery for removal will be the next step. Meniscuses that get torn tend to have the torn portion removed. Most of the meniscus has a poor blood supply and doesn't heal well , hence the attempt not to stitch it shut.
3) There is a small colleciton of fluid sitting above your patella. could be joint fluid, could be blood from the trauma.
Rest of the MRI
The ligaments that run along the sides of the knee, the medial and lateral colligaments are in one piece. This prevents the knee from moving side to side without your director control. One less injury to worry about rehabing. The meniscus is a piece of tissue that has a lateral and medial componenet, ie a right one and a left one. It helps to distribute body weight through your lower extremities.

Hope this helps,
Erik

[ABN307]

Erik,
Thanks for the response. Any guess on healing timeline? I am 42 and never injured my knee before. Some days it doesnt bother me while others it hurts on about a 3-4 level.

[Kyobanim]

ABN307,

I'm not a doc but have had similar knee problems, specifically, the meniscus tear. If in fact you have a tear it will not heal. It will only get worse, at least that's what my surgeon told me. All you can do is try to control the pain or have it repaired. Depending on your physical shape, recovery from the surgery is 3 to 4 weeks. I was moderately active in one week and 100% in 3 when I had it done.

The hurting behind the knee is an indicator of the torn meniscus. Look at it this way, get the tear fixed and use the rehab time for the rest of the knee to heal. My repaired knee is the best joint on my body.

My .02

[medicerik]

Assuming you don't have a fracture, three to four weeks is reasonable. On crutches for one. Crutches with you the next two just in case. Get ready to PT hard and make your quadraceps real strong.

[ABN307]

I assume that stronger quads will help stabilize the knee?
Also, would a neoprene wrap or brace be something to consider?

Once again, thanks for help Erik.