Bucket-handle tear
Hey everyone, I’m facing a really tough dilemma right now and would love to hear about your experiences. I'm trying to decide whether I should go through with meniscus surgery or keep managing it conservatively. Here is my backstory: • 3 years ago: Tweaked my knee playing soccer. The joint locked up completely. Doctors managed to unlock it and strongly suggested an MRI and likely surgery. I chose not to do it back then. After about a month, I was able to walk again and gradually returned to normal life. • 2 months ago: Injured the same knee again, also during soccer. This time it didn't lock, but it swelled up significantly and was very painful. • Current status: I went non-weight-bearing on crutches for about 2 weeks. Now, 2 months post-injury, I can walk completely normally on my own. I have absolutely NO pain in daily life. The only thing I notice is occasional clicking/popping in the knee. The Diagnosis: I finally got an MRI (attaching the image/report here). Two different orthopedic surgeons looked at it and confirmed a bucket-handle tear. Both are recommending surgery. My Dilemma: Since I can walk perfectly fine right now and nothing bothers me in my day-to-day routine, I am having a really hard time mentally committing to surgery. At the same time, I know bucket-handle tears are considered unstable. Has anyone been in a similar situation where you felt completely fine but had a bucket-handle tear? Did you choose surgery or conservative management? If you skipped surgery, how is your knee holding up long-term?