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?

Better to err on the side of caution, surely? There’s very little blood flow to connective tissue, so it takes longer to heal. I know it’s frustrating to have to rest - I was injured at a time when my work was very physical, but honestly a bit of rest now might save your ability to run for longer in the future. I get it - I cried on my consultant for my hip because I desperately didn’t want to be injured and for it to impact my plans.

I think you’re being over dramatic and to be honest a bit of an arsehole. In what world is a gentle 3k run going to turn into an ambulance being called for fucks sake?

I can only go by what you say, @alittlebitdelusional . I'd be thinking of training to do a nice 10K when you're better.
Small friendly races are usually a lot more enjoyable.

I think it gets to a point though where you’re young and stuck in limbo. Yes I see a consultant physio next month but if it then takes another three or four to get a scan, and another two after that to see a consultant I’m going to go insane without getting outdoors and being active. Especially over summer.

I'm done with this thread.

I wasn’t talking to you, was I?

If you want to never run again, crack on.

Of course you can't run a marathon with a torn meniscus.

I agree with this. I don't recognise a lot of what people are saying here about their pain. Mine was a sharp pain when aggravated like yours but I was fully functional, still walking the dogs, still driving, still continuing my day to day as normal, just not running. I was surprised to be honest when the mri showed that I had torn my meniscus because my pain didn't seem that big a deal apart from the fact that I couldn't run.

My meniscum tear was bad. I sleep on the right side of the bed of my bad knee and I couldn't wait to wake up in the morning and just hang my leg out the bed loose.
It's a horrible thing to have OP. You have my sympathies, I'm old I can honestly say it got better after a year.
Good luck, be careful 🙂

Perhaps just walk for the meantime. You’re young. You could have decades ahead of you running. You’re best to wait to hear what the professionals say and avoid further injury.

Ha. This was me. I strapped it up and ran a half marathon.
Turned out it wasn’t just a torn meniscus but a stress fracture of the tibia and a dislocated knee cap. I’ve been out of running for 4 months, just had surgery, and it will be 3-6 months before I run again. And the pain got to the point where painkiller weren’t touching it, and i couldn’t sleep.
Don’t be like me. Rest and wait the results of the scan.

Is it likely you’ve injured yourself as you’re running in rubbish trainers?

So have a think about being out for years. I carried on and ignored my injury and ended up being unable to compete for two years. Don’t be stupid.

If it's a suspected tear and you've not had an MRI yet then it might be worth avoiding running until you've got the results from the scan.

I had a meniscus tear 18 months ago. Before the MRI physio was super positive and encouraging me to push myself with exercise to support recovery. Physio back tracked on that as soon as we had the MRI results. I had surgery end of last year and surgeon advised me never to run again to protect my knee for as long as possible.

Once there is an injury like this, it's incredibly easy to bugger it more just by turning a little quickly at normal walking pace, when the ground is perfectly flat and even, being fully refreshed and feeling great, picking up a sock from the floor or coming down the stairs carrying a couple of towels to put into the washing machine, never mind when you're tired, on uneven ground, wet grass, a bit of ice, a damp leaf or halfway up a muddy hill somewhere between Ditchling and Haywards Heath.

Can I possibly ask what kind of strength and training work you did please?

Steroid injections can have very varied outcomes.Treatment regimes can have very different affects on people as well. I’m under the physio currently, different issue but have responded very well to treatment. With physio it’s all about persistence and patience.

Spot on user name @alittlebitdelusional

Running is the worst thing to do to your body! Especially your knees! Carry on and you will be permanently disabled very soon!

I also want to do one and was going to until I pulled out because of niggles before I even started training.

Thanks to a sprained ankle I'm now back at square one which is a good thing even if it feels a bit shit.

My aim is to spend the next year building up the distance slowly. Right now I'm on C25K, once I'm comfortable with a 5K I'll build up to 10K then a half marathon. I want my base level to be comfortable and niggle free with a weekly 2ish hour run before I even think about entering a marathon.

I've no idea about your injury but I would seek proper advice about running and see if you are able to slowly build up. If not next year then the year after.

Definitely get your gait analysed and pick the shoe that suits you. I've had several pairs and not massively keen on many of them in terms of aesthetics but that has to come second.

Also don't forget strength training which is also hugely important for runners.

Ultimately it depends what the professionals say, if they say never run then it's not a good idea but if they say build up then go for it (slowly!!)

Oh sure you go right ahead 🥳🥳🥳

You have a torn meniscus, the furthest you’ve ever run in your life is 7K, and you’ve been running in £10 Primark shoes.

What you need to focus on is rehab for the meniscus and building up to a point where it’s safe to run at all, not deciding to train for a fucking marathon.

Running in unsuitable shoes can cause a ‘slow’ meniscus tear, yes. If the shoes don’t provide enough support or stability, the foot turns and the knee kind of compensates to right itself on every step.

What marathons have you run before? Have they been flats. I’m just wondering about after healing time as gradient and terrain will matter.
I broke my foot over a year ago and I still can’t get over 5k without significant pain and I dread to think how much worse a knee injury is. I couldn’t contemplate a marathon even from a training perspective (as you’ll probably be running 60 miles plus a week) and I’ve run dozens. So much depends on how seasoned your body is for the distance and your knowledge of your body. I finished an ultra with breakages and adrenalin got me through for instance.