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.
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.
You will have some pain immediately after surgery and for several weeks, which is normal. Your healthcare provider will prescribe medications to help you manage the pain. The medications will help you complete the exercises needed to recover.
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.
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.
Most people can get back to desk work, school or sedentary activity 3 to 5 days after surgery. If your right knee was operated on, it may be up to 2 weeks before the knee is strong enough to hit the brakes to drive safely. For heavy work, it may take 4 to 6 weeks before the leg is strong enough to allow for working.
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.
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.
Don't Overdo It
Although exercise is the key to healing, you could be backpedaling progress by overworking your knee. Signs of over-exercising include swelling of the entire leg and lingering pain that stretches into the evening or into the next day.
In any case, patients are usually advised to stay off their feet and the use of crutches may be advised for at least several days. A knee brace may also be recommended. It may take several weeks before patients can walk without a knee brace and months before they have healed enough to return to sports.
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].
It is normal for the knee to be sore and swollen following arthroscopy. Activity should be increased gradually. You should avoid prolonged walking or standing for the first few days. You should avoid squatting or kneeling or attempting to bend your knee beyond 90 degrees if the knee is painful or swollen.
You should soon start seeing improvement in your knee. You may be able to return to most of your regular activities within a few weeks. But it will be several months before you have complete use of your knee. It may take as long as 6 months before your knee is strong enough for hard physical work or certain sports.
If the knee does well and there are no significant symptoms, then it follows that the tear must have healed up and the repair was successful. If, however, a patient is unlucky enough to develop recurrent symptoms and ongoing problems with the knee, then the assumption is that the attempted repair has failed.
There is often sharp pain when you twist or squat. Symptoms may go away but can come back from overuse or when you do activities that involve twisting. The pain may come and go over a period of years if the tear isn't treated. Larger tears usually cause more pain and immediate swelling and stiffness.
Most patients are off crutches at or around the time of the first follow-up visit after surgery (2 weeks), but some may still require them at that time. Don't worry if you need crutches longer than 2 weeks- remember that everyone's recovery is different.
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. This is normal.
You can walk with your full weight on both legs (unless your surgeon has given you specific instructions). You can walk up and down stairs.
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.
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.
Doctors understand that knee pain can be worse after meniscus surgery. In the last decade there have been many papers and studies demonstrating that there is a very real probability that many people will have more pain after knee arthroscopic meniscus surgery.
Tenderness of the knee wound and increased pain during activity and rest. This could be a sign of infection. Bacteria can enter your bloodstream through the surgical wound and cause infection. Notify your physician immediately if you suspect infection.
Hormones could be a major factor, says Slawsby. "Nighttime is when the production of the anti-inflammatory hormone cortisol is at its lowest." New research also has suggested that pain may follow a circadian rhythm like the body's internal 24-clock that regulates our sleep-wake cycle.