I tore my meniscus 10 or 15 years ago due to overloading the knee on a leg press machine in the gym. A couple weeks after that overloading, we were on our first day of vacation visiting my uncle in Twin Falls, Idaho. I stepped out of the car and my knee just about collapsed. The pain was excruciating, probably the worst I’ve experienced.
With the help of a sports medicine doctor, I used an exercise program to recover and, to my surprise, it worked. No surgery. I’m almost 71 now and my knee seems to be fine, but I’m always wary of a relapse.
“almost 71” — egads, how did THAT happen?
I’ve had partial tears in both menisci. Similar to you, I had a total knee collapse when I was in my early 20s. I blacked out from the pain and woke up in an ambulance.
20 years later, no surgeries, I can run and jump without pain. When I do have an occasional tweak in either knee, following the good old RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) strategy works just fine.
You find a way to stop/slow it , I'm all ears.
Evel Knievel had a misfortune in Twin Falls also!
"How terribly strange to be 70" -Old Friends/Simon & Garfunkel