Subject: Re: Sports Medicine
A few random thoughts on torn meniscus, which I have as well:

1) As it happens, a friend just told me this morning about this study from Finland that calls into question the benefits of surgery for it, which is a very common surgery. I have no idea the legitimacy of this study myself, but I have found my engineer friend over the years to be a knowledgeable and credible source of information who does not go around saying things lightly (and his wife is a doctor).

https://www.helsinki.fi/en/new...

One of the world’s most common knee surgeries does not help and may even be harmful
Partial meniscectomy does not improve patient symptoms or function, reveals a 10-year follow-up of the FIDELITY, a placebo-surgery controlled trial.

2) I was diagnosed probably 20 years ago with a torn meniscus. I have managed to be mostly pain-free since, including playing a lot of competitive sports (mainly beach volleyball). At the time, the doctor told me he could set up an MRI machine outside a movie theater (remember those?) and probably half the people would have a torn meniscus, though most wouldn't know it because they weren't active enough to feel it. I have mainly managed it over the years by backing off when I start feeling pain, and

3) I have found it very helpful to wear a knee brace when I sleep. I tend to sleep with a lot of tension (teeth-grinding etc.) and found myself waking up in the night with my leg twisted into positions that would bring pain. Sleeping in a knee brace has helped quite a bit. I practically sleep in a football uniform these days--knee brace, ankle brace, wrist braces for carpal tunnel and mouthguard for the teeth grinding--but it all has a purpose and it all helps. Aging isn't the most fun process, but as they say, better than the alternative.