A few random thoughts on torn meniscus, which I have as well...

Sorry if I wasn't clear, but while the preliminary thought was torn meniscus, that isn't what I have. Which makes sense to me as there was no mechanical action that caused the pain. Instead it appears to be from bad feet, probably from poorly fitting used shoes as a kid and heels in my 20's and 30's resulting in a knee that pops out of alignment. Thus the great improvement from gentle manipulations of my feet and knee, and hopefully long term permanent corrections from the shoe orthodics that have been ordered.

...wrist braces for carpal tunnel...

I used to wear these so I didn't wake up in screaming pain in the middle of the night. Was told I would need surgery, but the wrist guards and alternating computer mouse hand put that off indefinitely with tolerable pain. I am big on dietary supplements and started taking Alpha-Lipoic Acid, (ALA), for brain health. It's a compound that is used in meds for neuropathy as well. About 2 weeks in to starting the supplement, I realized I had not had carpel pain, which would still happen even with the braces. Googling the reviews for ALA, the only recent change I had made, I saw anecdotal evidence of lessening/elimination of carpel tunnel and sciatica pain, and increased my dose from 600 to 900mg/day, which was the amount that was reported as being used for relief. I quickly put my wrist braces to the side and almost a decade later still don't need them other than as preventative during trigger events such as driving long distances.

Of course, that is not as monetarily gratifying for your doctor/surgeon. ALA is pretty cheap and over the counter. I like the soft gel capsules from PuritainPride.com, as they are least likely to give bad tasting burps. TMI, but honestly important. You don't want to taste this stuff. I don't take meds, so check with your doctor for contraindications if you take any. DH takes the ALA as well, for brain health and diabetic neuropathy, and he is on many meds. His doctor did not prescribe it, but told him it probably wouldn't hurt, and he has found it has reduced tingling. YMMV.

IP,
big into addressing root causes, not just symptoms