had a tear about 25 years ago. mostly from a lifetime of activity but the straw that broke the back, was running/playing on an uneven surface & hyperextending one knee. after a long period of ibuprofen, x-rays & an MRI I had a minor arthroscopic procedure under general anesthesia. asked the doc if I could get it on tape & he said sure, just bring a tape. back then it was full size VHS. they made 2 tiny holes, 1 for the camera & 1 for the tools. 17 minutes in & out! it was easy to see the upper & lower body parts & the loose flap of cartilage & the tools used to snip it & clean it up. I was standing on it that afternoon videotaping my own little kid
every knee is different, but here's wishing you a similar good experience & outcome!
my symptom was that I could not climb stairs w/ the affected knee/leg bearing weight. I had to always use the other leg to lift up on each step. I forget what the recovery was, but the surgery worked to remove the folded flap that was trapped between the upper & lower leg
I remember that afterwards I was a little freaked out about my mortality, or rather the realization that my body was not indestructible. I felt vulnerable & I was very protective of my body, especially my knees of course. I was always very sure to walk straight & plant my feet carefully. it was about 11 years before I took up any sporting activities like weight training with leg machines or running, cycling etc. I did not have to wait that long, I was into hiking & I did that. my Doc said just don't go run a marathon for a while. I would later take up racquetball so the surgery worked well. my knees aren't what they used to be. I won't be doing any long duration steep hikes/climbs anymore. I'm still very careful about foot placement. I remember my surgeon saying the worst thing for a knee was a deep knee bend w/ a twist. the best thing is losing weight. I currently feel like I had a great recovery & can do lots of stuff