Recovery and Outlook Full recovery from meniscus surgery can take anywhere from six weeks to three months. Your care after surgery may involve: Crutches to take stress off the knee as it heals. Knee brace to stabilize the joint as you recover.
Activity: You should use cane, crutches or a walker for the first 3 to 5 days following surgery. As your knee feels more comfortable, you may increase the amount of weight you put on the operated leg. You may stop using the cane or crutches/walker once you can walk comfortably without a limp.
They typically use crutches for a few days, but quickly wean off them as the pain and discomfort with weight-bearing disappears. While it is recommended that patients take it easy for the first 10-14 days, they're typically able to increase activity at their own pace.
Unless otherwise instructed by your doctor, use crutches when walking and bear weight as tolerated on the operated leg. That is, you can bear as much weight as you can, even full weight, as long as there is no knee pain when you put your weight on the limb. Wear the post-operative brace for walking.
After Meniscus Repair Surgery
Your doctor may recommend using crutches for up to six weeks to keep weight off your knee. Participating in physical therapy can help you recover most of your knee function within two to three months, with a full recovery taking up to six months.
Crutches will be necessary for 2-7 days after surgery. Rehabilitation to gain full ROM should occur within 1-2 weeks. Heavy work or sports may be restricted for the first 4-6 weeks. Complicated arthroscopic repair of a meniscus tear requires that the patient's knee be completely immobilized for 2 weeks after surgery.
Arthroscopic meniscus repair is moderately painful. Because more soft tissue surgery is performed, it is more painful than a standard arthroscopy, but less painful than a ligament reconstruction or another procedure that requires drilling holes through the bone.
Avoid long periods of sitting (without leg elevated) or long distance traveling for 2 weeks. The first two days after surgery you can expect a small amount of red-tinged drainage on your dressings. This is normal.
You will be sent home from the surgery center with prescriptions for pain medication. Take the pain medication as prescribed. you take the medication and taper off as you feel comfortable, but keep in mind that many people have an increase in pain around day 3 or 4 after surgery.
Wound Care:Leave the big surgical bandage on and do not shower for 48 hours after surgery. After 48 hrs, remove bandages, and apply waterproof bandaids to thencision(s) prior to showering (available at Walgreens or CVS). To see bloody soaked fluids on bandages is normal. Leave the steri stips (white tape) on.
So unfortunately, having a meniscal tear which requires surgery may raise your risk of getting arthritis later in life. It has also been shown that a knee that has undergone meniscus surgery has weaker thigh muscles and poorer quality of cartilage 4 years after the surgery [3].
Sleeping positions
Generally, learning how to sleep after meniscus surgery means sleeping on your back with your leg slightly elevated.
Patient will be non-weight bearing for 6 weeks immediately following surgery unless otherwise directed. Progress to partial weight bearing with brace at week 6. Progress to full weight bearing with brace unlocked (if adequate quad control) near week 8.
If you are sleeping a bit extra after surgery, good! That means your body needs it. After meniscus surgery, just having energy enough to care for yourself throughout the day will be challenging at first. But your body also needs adequate rest to heal the surgery site and rebuild damaged tissues.
In cases the patients undergo meniscus repair or ligament reconstruction, they are given a brace to support the knee in full extension. If the patient is not comfortable walking without an aid, then they are usually provided with axillary crutches.
Meniscus (cartilage) Repair patients cannot do twisting, pivoting, squatting, deep knee bends or impact activities for four months. It is vital that meniscus repair patients do not squat for at least four months after the repair.
If a meniscus tear is considered appropriate for an attempt at repair, a number of techniques can be used. The surgery is primarily arthroscopic (minimally invasive) although additional small incisions, or cuts, may be necessary to perform the repair. A variety of devices or sutures can be used to perform a repair.
Brace locked, crutches • Partial weight bearing • When going up the stairs, make sure you are leading with the non-surgical side, when going down the stairs, make sure you are leading with the crutches and surgical side.
Get the Best Physical Therapy for a Torn Meniscus in NYC
Surgery of any type has inherent risks. Side effects of drugs and anesthesia, risk of infection, high costs, disappointing outcomes and long-term complications need to be carefully weighed against low-risk alternatives.
You may need to be on crutches for a while depending on your procedure. If you have a more complicated knee arthroscopy procedure, you may not be able to walk for several weeks. You may also need to use crutches or a knee brace. Full recovery may take several months to a year.
Following meniscus surgery, a person may develop new knee pain. This can occur for several reasons, including reinjury or problems with postsurgical rehabilitation. It may also develop due to postsurgical complications, such as arthritis. The treatment for new knee pain may vary depending on the underlying cause.
Motion is typically restricted for first 4 to 6 weeks to allow the meniscus to heal. 4 to 6 weeks, if: You have regained motion and strength.