He doesn't specify how much of his meniscus he had removed, and it is possible to have just a portion of the meniscus removed. But for him to say that he "sliced it" (full tear) and had to have it "pulled out" really makes me think that he did in fact have the entire meniscus removed. Now, there are known cases of top athletes still competing at a top level that have had a meniscus removed, such as Chris Paul. However, I wonder how much it will effect an MMA fighter, especially a big heavy guy like Mir. Anyways, just wanted to share because I hadn't seen this discussed... Are there any known cases of MMA fighters with a removed meniscus that are competing with no noticeable loss of ability?
Had a sever tear in my left meniscus a few years back. The tear got worse because I took so long before getting it looked at. They ended up shaving off a fairly sizable portion off to deal with it. Knees been pretty damn good ever since.
Ouch, War Frank very humble in the video he nailed the gameplan to beat jds in his description and it sounds like cain was the man to do it because he did exactly what frank said hope he comes back and is still able to perform well, longtime fav heavyweight
I know Blair hasn't had his meniscus since college at least and he moves fine for a big guy, so theoretically I guess Mir could too. What exactly does the meniscus do? I always thought a meniscus tear was terrible. Now I learn elite athletes can shed it like a tadpole does his tail.
Fighters tend to exaggerate their injuries, but Mir is one of the smarter guys so maybe he is telling the truth.
I have a buddy who has no meniscus in either knee, and he complains about his knees all the time, and won't do anything athletic at all (won't even ride a bike). Personally, I've had my knee scoped a couple of times, and if I'm in the mood, I can still ball pretty hard. But I definitely avoid lifting heavy at all costs, and the uninjured knee is still noticeably stronger than the one that was operated on. I don't doubt that Mir can still compete at a high level, especially with everything he's already overcome... I'm just wondering how much of an effect this will have on him.
As I understand it, it serves only to cushion the knees, so it can be removed because it has no function in stabilizing, like the ACL or MCL. However, you would obviously rather HAVE it, than not have it...
Depends on where the tear was, how bad, and if they left any of it (and if so, what the bone on bone situation is). Some guys have a portion taken off and are fine; the part remaining still cushions the joint. But if you've had enough or the right part taken off so that there's bone on bone contact, you aren't going to be doing much cardio, that's for sure (biking, running, stairs, all of those are probably going to suck). They're also experimenting with biologically safe compounds that they inject into the knee to replace worn or missing meniscus. Kobe Bryant and other NBA players have had this done.
it also reduces friction, if he had it completely removed without getting lubricant injections, he is done
Yeah - it's two flaps of cartilage that cushion the tibia and fibia (lower leg bones) from being crashed into by the femur (upper leg bone). Some guys can not have them and for whatever reason the pain is relatively minimal. For others it's excruciating.
Does Mir need another undeserved title shot because of his knee? Good lord, the guy is not a top 10 MMA HW.. And that's pretty bad, considering how shallow the HW division is.
Mmhmmm....... He was on a three fight win streak and he wasn't automatically in line for the title fight. He got it because people above him were injured. Either way, if you don't think Frank Mir is a top 10 heavyweight, I would say you're just trying to bash him just to do so. Your post is a little forced just in order to talk bad about him. What does his knee injury have to do with getting a title shot?
I thought DeJuan Blair has no ACLs. I think some people may be confusing ACLs with menisci. http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2009/11/no_ligaments_no_problem.html The meniscus is the cartilaginous cushioning for the two weight-bearing bones in your knees (femur and tibia). The cartilage can erode over time and jumping/exploding movements can be very painful because it's bone-on-bone contact. Penny Hardaway is a good basketball example of a sick, explosive athlete who lost his athleticism thanks to meniscal degeneration and never got it back, even after microfracture surgery (FYI that's when the orthopedic surgeon pokes holes in the cartilage to promote healing through bleeding & regeneration). I think success rates are better now for microfracture surgery; IIRC Amar'e Stoudemire had it a few years back and still had good athleticism after. I'd imagine Frank still has a major portion of his meniscus in place because otherwise that'd be too excruciatingly painful to do any plyometrics & explosive training; hell even jogging on a stiff surface would hurt.
Two consecutive injuries to my right meniscus (the second after surgery to fix the first one) meant I had to get mine removed. Really doesn't feel different. I can box and grapple just fine; as long as you keep your legs strong, the muscles can carry the burden.
I actually knew that, don't know how I came to think it was his menisci. But CP3 definitely had a meniscus removed. That's recent news, so I know I'm correct there. But no, definitely not confusing the meniscus for the ACL (already detailed the difference earlier ITT). I'll edit the OP.
CP3 had his meniscus removed?? Damn, I'm gonna have to hedge out my Clippers bet :S FTR I wasn't implying that you were confusing the two... They tend to get confused, maybe because they're often injured simultaneously. I dunno. Mir isn't the most explosive guy but damn if CP3 can get through it and still be explosive then I guess Frank might not be as limited as I thought... I'll need to consult Dr JKD for a second opinion though.
