Surgery and Running Injuries

photo by sean drellinger

I recently got an email from a running buddy I hadn’t seen or heard from in awhile. When I asked how her running was going, she told me “your mouth will drop when you read this but I just had knee surgery, for the sixth time in two years.”

The original diagnosis was a meniscal tear. She may run again, she may not, no one knows.

About five years ago, I had a swollen knee that I believed was due to a bad bike fit. The MD at the HMO who examined my knee hadn’t been practicing long. She referred me to a surgeon. The surgeon examined my knee, diagnosed a meniscal tear, and recommend surgery. I told him I wanted an MRI and a second opinion.

The MRI showed a possible but not definite meniscal tear. The second surgeon also recommended surgery to fix the meniscus. When I pointed out that none of his tests revealed symptoms of a meniscal tear, he said there were indications of meniscal tear. And “besides, he said, “the knee is swollen and once I scope that knee I’ll find something. Out of every 500 knees, maybe one doesn’t need some work.”

I deferred on the surgery and saw a physical therapist who recommended stretching and strengthening exercises which I did. My knee healed. When the problem recurred a couple of years later I discovered a yoga pose that fixed the problem once and for all.

I’m not sure what the moral of this story is or even if there is one. Maybe:

Doctors make mistakes.

or

In the end everyone is there own doctor.

or

Western medicine may result in an expensive way to resolve a simple problem.