URGENT ADVICE: Bucket Handle Meniscus Tears

In this video you'll learn the 3 reasons why bucket handle meniscus tears require urgent attention - the sooner the better.

Dr. Erin Boynton has been an orthopaedic surgeon for 30 years, worked for MLB's Toronto Blue Jays for 10 years as their team surgeon and is the current Medical Director of the Rogers Cup WTA Tennis Tournament so she has expertise with athletes and people who love and need to move!

Whether you've been diagnosed with one or not, if you injured your knee and have trouble fully straightening it out or it catches or locks when you walk, you need to take care of it ASAP.

If you have a bucket handle meniscus tear and you do get surgery, then you'll want to get started on your rehab ASAP - Dr. Boynton often had meniscus patients doing specific exercises before they left the hospital.

The specific exercises and a program progressing you through the critical phases of recovery are all laid it in our program here:

It will create the foundation for movement you need to get back to your sport as quickly as possible, pain-free.

If you have a torn meniscus but not a bucket handle tear, you might be able to avoid surgery altogether with this program as Dr. B was able to divert 70% of her meniscus consults from surgery with the exercises and plan laid out.

[Buckhunter]

I had bucket handle tear 6 months ago and just got surgery. I unknowingly played football on it for 5 months, after it was wrongly diagnosed as a strained muscle. In surgery the doctors said all the cartilage around it was very torn up from me playing on it. But I’m on the road to recovery and it’s going well. Thanks for the video.

[tamewolff]

Great video! Anyone concerned please listen to their guidance! I had a bucket tear that would intermittently lock my knee, but erroneously I delayed treatment for a month. I had a long road after surgery due to the amount of inflammation, atrophied muscles, and adhesions from surgery. Thankfully I found a great chiropractor that targeted my issues and I have been fully functional for years 😊 your education style reminds me of him, thanks for what you do on this channel!

[wandapace]

My daughter fell and hurt her leg in June of this year. She went to the ER two days in a row. She told them she couldn’t straighten her leg out. They finally sent her to a orthopedic dr but drs appointments were scheduled far apart. She finally got to get a MRI appointment but they said she was having muscle spasm’s in her knee and that she would have to come back. Three weeks later she took a muscle relaxer and had the MRI done and found out she had a bad meniscus bucket handle tear. So now three and a half months later, she is scheduled for surgery this coming Thursday. I hope it is not too late to repair it. I wish the doctors would have listened to her when she told them something was wrong.

[marjolieo]

Hi, thanks for your video. I have a bucket handle tear in my meniscus and a torn ACL, 3 months since my accident, my knee still swollen, locked and I'll have my surgery next week. With physiotherapy I can flex my but full extension it is not possible. Your video helped me to understand that is not earlier for me to do the surgery, actually i should have done already. Thanks

[patrickmeehan]

Thanks for this information. In the future, could you demonstrate this on a model of the knee? Imagining is less helpful than seeing.

[minas.a.]

thank you for this information ( i commented on your menicus rehab video earlier). I will try my best avoid more harm but still work on my strength/ROM

[vaarunaggarwal]

Thank you so much for the information.

[batocie]

I just slipped on ice and thought my knee dislocated. I whent in because I couldn't straighten my knee out and it was in a lot of pain.. I just got asked what I want to do about it and told I would be back to work in two days.. I pretty much got told to go home and I wasted my money coming in. instead of explaining what happened and what I can do... thanks for the videos! I think my bucket handle just flipped back into place. I van now straighten my leg... now onwards to recovery

[richiej]

I’ve got a bucket handle tear that’s flipped over in the notch, I’m having surgery next week. I’m ready to get this taken care of.

[Polyphylla]

Hey! I had a meniscus tear in the year 2022 December while skiing. I couldn’t move it basically at all, but decided not to go to a doctor. It got better. Then i had a reoccurring injury in march while playing volleyball and another one in April while jumping. After the second injury we went to the doctor and they told us to go to the MRI. They told me i had a lateral bucket handle meniscus tear. After the second injury though, my knee got better within a month. I can walk, ride the bike and swim, but still too scared to try running. I also have full mobility of my knee. When we went back to the doctor after the MRI (yesterday), they told me that i need surgery. I’m not personally sure i want the surgery, but at the same time i don’t want to risk anything worse happening to my knee.

[caragibbons]

I had a bucket handle meniscus repair and I’m so pleased with the results. Thanks for sharing this important message. Is it possible for most people to get to surgery in less than 2 weeks in Ontario? I managed to but I tore my ACL a few months before and happened to experience my bucket handle tear the day before my MRI and a few days before my consultation with my surgeon.

[giuseppecastaldo]

S/P Right knee Arthroscopic Partial medial meniscectomy posterior horn and body, Partial lateral meniscectomy posterior horn and body and anterior horn (bucket handle tear), Chondroplasty medial femoral condyle and medial tibial plateau of grade 2 changes.

[MAKABRA]

Great info, after all the research, including this video there's no doubt that I have a bucket hundle Meniscus tear, it's been 3 months since I injured my knee and have not heal, Unfortunately with everything that is happening with covid-19 I lost my job and unable to use my knee as before, I guess I have to live with the pain until I can afford the surgery. Thanks for the great information.

[lizjones]

I'm presently experiencing limited knee flexion movement at either end particularly in my heel reaching my bum. Is this definitely a bucket handle tear? My doctor didn't bother to check, just said it was an external knee injury and that I had arthritis and to expect stuff like this but not to stop exercising. I'm a bit worried about doing damage. I enjoy your videos - I have confidence in you!

[sun]

THANK YOU.
THESE QUESTIONS GO OUT TO ANYONE WHO CAN ANSWER THESE. AND I HOPE EVERYONE HAS A SPEEDY AND GOOD RECOVERY.

10 weeks after your meniscectomy were you able to bend your leg all the way back as far as your good leg bends back? Or are you only able to bend it about 90°? And on bending it about 90° did you feel pressure in the knee? I can bend it about 20° past 90°, but that's putting some force into it like with PT exercises Did you still have some swelling of the knee? Were you easily able to walk up and down steps or did you still have a limited range that made it difficult?

I am in my mid 60s and had a partial medial bucket handle meniscectomy. My surgeon showed me the pics. There's no wear or damage to my cartilage. He showed how smooth and undamaged it is. And I was walking around with the bucket handle meniscus tear for 5 months until the surgery! And my job is a physical one. I'm just very lucky.

This is my situation. I'm trying to get an idea of all of this through searching online different resources.
I'm going through PT now.

[swapnillandge]

Thank you for making this video. Very helpful. I'm 45 years old man. The MRI report of my left knee mentioned large medial bucket handle tear. I twisted my left leg while playing cricket 7 weeks back on 12 June. After 4 weeks of physiotherapy I can straighten my injured knee almost same as other but I feel blocked/locked at the last stage of straightening the leg. I can walk well with balance for 20 mins but with intermittent pain in the knee, especially medial line of meniscus. I didn't try running. I'm careful not to bend my knee or twist. The physiotherapist says my knee movement is in functional range to walk, run, do my regular activities without surgery by strengthening exercises and diet plan to reduce weight(h 167cm / w 74kg) and healing internal injury due to tear in 3 to 6 months.
I consulted 2 orthopaedic doctors and they clearly advised to go for miniscus repair at the earliest.
I'm confused as I believe conservative approach can help here based on progress. However docs are very clear about meniscus repair surgery. Can you help me with your comments to make decision?

[PumaSimona]

Hi, very valuable video. Please do you have any video on
Rehab exercises pri surgery when the knee was in gypsum with this damage for weeks? The more I do some basic knee rehab while waiting for my surgery in one week the leg gets weaker and weaker. Please any advice?

[edumentorsuk]

Hi @precision Movement and Coach E, thank you first of all for such a great video! ​ 

I just received my MRI results with a bucket handle tear of medial meniscus. The injury happened 3 weeks ago and I don't think I can get the surgery for at least the next 4 weeks if I follow the NHS process in the UK.... Is it possible to still get the meniscus sewed or would the surgeon shave the tear because it would be at least 7-8 weeks after the incident?

[aaronemerick]

Thank youfor the useful info. No amount of stretches or maneuvers was getting my knee in the right position. Turns out I have a bucket handle meniscus tear. It's extremely painful, but at least I now have a surgery scheduled.

[kyzersoze.musicology]

Holy shit... I definitely need to see a doctor. I can straighten out my knee but I can’t bend it more than 10inches. I had an MCL injury, barely a level 1.. is that something to be concerned?