To think I could run a marathon with a torn meniscus

[alittlebitdelusional]

Well, a suspected torn meniscus.

I injured myself last year and have been running since then, but I finally saw a physio at the start of this year who has referred me for imaging. She has a pretty confident feeling that I’ve torn my meniscus with potentially some ligament damage. My first consultant physio appointment is in three and a half weeks.

I still love running. I’ve had to reduce it over the last few weeks because of pain, but I think part of that is down to running in some seriously worn out trainers that are not designed for running. Think Primark £10 memory foam trainers 😬 I keep seeing the marathon runners this year and I really, really want to do it.

AIBU to think I could? Should I just shelve this dream?

OMFG when I tore my meniscus I had to switch from a manual car to an automatic because using the clutch aggravated my knee too much…

As it happens mine did get better without surgery, but it’s never been the same and I would certainly never attempt a marathon (original injury caused when running in sand dunes). I had steroids in my hip for a different injury and it isn’t a perfect fix - it helps with pain and mobility but weakens the surrounding muscle.

Obviously wait to hear what the professionals will say but marathons are very hard on the body. So I’d say no it’s not a good idea.

I recently had a scan for a 2 year old injury and apparently no serious damage but they can see where I’ve injured my calf.

It’s not sore if I sit or lie down, but more of mild pain when I walk fast or run.

I’ll be referred to physio soon but irrespective of what they say, I listen to my body and no way will I put my leg through the 10K I was previously planning, let alone a marathon.

This is making me think it might not be a tear? It’s bad some days but never this bad!

I have plenty of friends, but this is a thread about running with a knee injury. I’m not going to sit here and discuss other things, am I?

I have not said anywhere that I am actively training for a marathon at this point in time. You seem unable to comprehend what I’m saying. They think it’s a great goal, because they’ve seen my fitness transform in the last few years.

Have you had a scan? I had an mri to confirm and decided to try rest before going to surgery - I did rest (including changing my car) and it did get better.

As you keep saying. It’s just coming across that you’re unable to read what I’m saying.

On the waiting list for an appointment to get a scan (despite the original physio saying I just needed a scan), because that’s how my trust operates. Trying to push as many people as possible to go private, I guess.

I had a bad torn meniscus (and I'm probably twice your age!) and it only got better with time.

It was so painful. Is it aching continually?

I didn't think that everyone was thinking you were going to rock out of bed and run a marathon.

Seriously, you were a complete numpty to run in crap shoes, and 5K 3 times a week is not much.

This is the thing, no. I can go a day or two, sometimes even more, with it barely niggling. And some days it’ll be achy no matter what. It’s so, so strange.

Yes I was silly to do it, but what’s done is done and I can’t go back and change it. It was a lot for me, a total non-runner before last summer.

I’m going to get my new shoes, see how I feel on a short jog (2 to 3k), and go from there. I’m not going to engage any more with you because you’re just being rude and unfair.

You're not going to be fit and healthy if you permanently bugger up your knee by running on it for about 100 miles in the training period (assuming you actually attempt a conservative schedule over 20 weeks) shortly having introduced a significant risk of increasing the severity of the injury, are you?

Maybe not so much as me then. I had endless physio and exercise to correct my gait as it was affecting it. It actually took nearly a year to mend, I had scans and everything. Probably not so bad for you as you are younger.

It’s just seriously so bizarre. One day going up the hill I live on can be fine, the next it can really aggravate it. There’s no rhyme nor reason to it either - I can do the exact same thing two days in a row and it can feel really different between the two. I think I’m just going to go gentle on it and prioritise protein and hydration (apparently hydration is quite important for soft tissue injuries?), and see where we go from the physio appointment

I don’t think it’s helpful to compare symptoms - my tear didn’t ache all the time but there was a lot of sharper pain when aggravated and would randomly lock when I was walking. The GP and consultant both stuck their finger in a place in my knee that would make me wince, but it wasn’t constant pain. I think it varies. I have also had a label tear and that was referred pain down the front of my thigh (excruciating at times) but nothing in the hip joint at all.

edited to add, my point is that everyone experiences it differently and pain doesn’t necessarily correlate with severity of injury.

We're not being unfair. We're just not telling you what you want to hear.
Going from 3 x 5K to a marathon is being ambitious without the injury.

Fancy new running shoes will not mean you don't need to get over your injury before running again.

I think that’s all you can do before you’re actually seen though. Part of me wishes I’d just gone to the doctor when I bloody fell on a hike, but I didn’t expect it to be going on for this long!

I don’t think everyone is, just that one poster in particular.

im aware it’s a lot - I’m not committed to it yet (as in, I don’t have a marathon place), I’m going to do a gentle re-introduction to running plan, designed to protect from injury and go from there.