Friend of mine went to the doctor after tearing her meniscus. Doctor said she absolutely needed surgery and it won't heal without surgery. She said "thanks but no thanks."
They tried to sell me on meniscus surgery too. I saw a PT and he fixed my knees in two weeks with a hamstring stretch (I've since learned that about half the programmers I know have tight hamstrings. It hurts your knees and makes good posture impossible).
I’ve heard this referred to as programmers syndrome. The tight hamstrings also lead to frequent lower back pain as does the lack of movement. It takes as little as 15 minutes of sitting for your spinal discs to compress. Moving your legs restores the blood flow. Similarly sitting makes it difficult for your heart to pump blood from your feet. And if course there’s the unsightly posture as well. All of which is restored with regular stretches, yoga, etc. I’m no medical professional as I’m sure those who are can tell but these are the things I’ve learned over the years in my own experience. A lot is within our control but I also know a lot of people who have done everything possible from a dietary and exercise standpoint and still need a bypass relatively early in life. I have an in law who was a surgeon himself. He came home one day after work and his wife asks how’d it go today and he said oh not bad I ran a few tests recently and checked myself into the or for a stint. He didn’t bother to tell anyone before and might have not have said anything afterward either. We look at the medical profession largely through the lens of how our insurers and policy makers want us to view medicine. We also see anecdotal information that fools us into thinking one thing when it’s really another. Often times the most analytical minds can forget that it takes quite a bit of study and rigor to reach a valid conclusion. And at the same time we are seeing that the human body is not just one thing but billions of cells and bacteria that are as different from person to person as fingerprints are unique to the individual. What disturbs me most about these articles is that they very subtly shape the mindsets and opinions we hold to be skeptical of surgery in general and to be skeptical of surgeries late in life as luxuries of a bygone era unfit for today’s ideal lifestyle of personal discipline and pious austerity. As far as I’m concerned we haven’t yet scratched the surface of what’s possible to extend life to 100 or even 200 or beyond. And what a fantastic exploration that would be - equally as rewarding as becoming an interplanetary species. Sadly the current mindset seems to be reverting to an age where 45 was old and 55 was an ideal time to die and just think of the cost savings windfall we’d have if everyone were to agree.
Sure! Okay, so it’s not exactly a hamstring stretch, but it fixed the problem that kept me sedentary which in turn caused my hamstrings to get super tight. I’m sorry I don’t know the name of it so I’ll have to describe it (google failed me). Stand with one leg straight on a low stool or a stair step. Lean forward, pushing down very hard on your leg with both hands on your leg above the kneecap. I did this on each leg for a minute every hour or so.
The idea is to increase the range of motion in the leg. I gained a huge amount in just a few weeks, something like 15 degrees worth. From there I was able to walk and stand without pain (it felt so good that took up running just because I could!). When I’ve been sick or less active I can feel the tightness coming back and it only takes a few stretches to get back to normal again. The PT who helped me was trained in Mackenzie technique. I guess their idea is to give people focused stretches and exercises instead of the insane, unachievable workouts that PTs often prescribe.
It healed on its own.