If you have a brace, leave it on except when you exercise your knee or you shower. Be careful not to put the brace back on too tight. You will use it for about 2 to 6 weeks. If your doctor does not want you to shower or remove your brace, you can take a sponge bath.
Note: Patients should not flex the knee past 90 degrees for the first 3 weeks even if you therapist says it is okay. After 3 weeks, you will change from the immobilizer to a knee hinged brace.
After the first two weeks, you can sleep without the brace if you prefer. In most meniscus repair cases the brace is recommended for the first 6 weeks after surgery.
Wound Care
You may remove the ace bandage and the dressing on your knee on the second or third day following surgery. The dressing may be removed all the way down to your incisions. Please keep your steri-strips/sutures intact.
Most people can walk with crutches soon after meniscus surgery. Many return to normal activities within six to eight weeks. Your healthcare provider may recommend low-impact activities rather than high-impact (such as walking rather than running). If you have a physical job, you may need extra time off work to recover.
You will recover more quickly if you carefully follow all your doctor's instructions. In your first days after surgery, you will need apply ice frequently and elevate your knee above your heart to help relieve swelling. Be sure to get plenty of sleep, to help your body heal.
Depending on the type of procedure you received, you may be asked to avoid fully bearing weight on the affected knee for up to six weeks. You may be able to climb stairs a few days after surgery, but it's important to be careful and go slowly. You should use handrails for support and take one step at a time.
To avoid placing stress on the meniscus repair, do not bend your knee beyond 90 degrees (bent to a right angle). Brace and Crutches: Unless otherwise instructed by your doctor, use crutches when walking and bear weight as tolerated on the operated leg. Wear the post-operative brace for walking.
However, the research and physiological wisdom suggests that healing can occur more efficiently if massage is an integral part of the recovery strategy. Here's why: Deep tissue massage when administered a few weeks post-surgery can help relieve the swelling and promote relaxation.
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.
Do not engage in prolonged periods of standing or walking during the first 7-10 days after surgery. 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.
If you need to keep the brace on at all times, using wipes or a plastic cover can be effective. If your specialist or physiotherapist has advised that you can take it off for showers, taking care and using supports if available is recommended.
Roll over to the “good leg” side. Sleeping on your back can be an adjustment in and of itself. If you do choose to sleep on your side, roll to the non-surgery side and put a pillow between your knees. Use this position only if you're having no luck getting to sleep on your back, and remember not to bend the knee.
Many patients find the pain is worse than the pain they had before arthroscopy. 10 While the pain eventually settles down, often the only way to find relief is to use crutches for weeks or months after knee arthroscopy.
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.
Complicated arthroscopic repair of a meniscus tear requires that the patient's knee be completely immobilized for 2 weeks after surgery. Followed by 2 weeks of limited motion before resuming daily activities.
Arthroscopic Knee Surgery Recovery
After a meniscectomy, your surgeon will likely advise physical therapy to put you on the best path toward recovery. The day after your surgery, you will need to see your physical therapist to: Change your dressings.
Following this type of meniscus surgery, a knee brace is generally used to stabilize the knee. Typically, keeping weight off the operated knee is a key goal in the weeks following meniscus repair. Thus, you will likely be instructed to use crutches for at least a month after this procedure.
Don't Overdo It
Although exercise is the key to healing, you could be backpedaling progress by overworking your knee.
You can, but it's wise not to do so until at least a few weeks after surgery, when you can start bending your knee. Make sure you lay on your non-operative side. Sleeping this way makes sure no pressure falls on the knee you had surgery on. Put a couple of pillows between your knees to provide support and comfort.
As this healing occurs, patients progress towards bearing weight, increasing their range of motion, and leaving the knee brace behind. How quickly this progress occurs varies by surgeon, but a typical range is 4-8 weeks. Patients are usually out of the brace and walking without crutches around 2-3 months.
Dressings: Keep dressings clean and dry for 3 days after surgery. You may then remove the dressing, apply waterproof bandages, and shower. After showering, replace the waterproof bandages with dry ones. No soaking or scrubbing, no bath, no swimming, no hot tubs, etc.
You may be able to return to a desk job or your normal routine in a few days. But if you do physical labour, it may be a few weeks to a few months before you can go back to work.