An uncomplicated meniscectomy will resolve most of the pain fairly quickly, but swelling and stiffness take time to resolve. It may take 4-5 months for full healing. The patient should be able to bear weight on the knee while standing or walking, immediately after surgery.
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.
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.
The pain settles usually within two to three weeks, but may take upwards of six weeks. Swelling in the whole knee up to six weeks. Tenderness around the wound sites up to four weeks. Muscle wasting in the thigh, improves as swelling and pain decrease.
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 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.
Don't Overdo It
Although exercise is the key to healing, you could be backpedaling progress by overworking your knee.
Pain and pain management
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.
Knee pain, osteoarthritis, re-injury, inadequate rehabilitation, and spontaneous osteonecrosis are potential long-term problems after meniscus surgery. Talk with your healthcare provider about treatments to help you find relief if you're experiencing pain or other post-surgery problems.
After the first week, you may then increase weight as tolerated and advance to one crutch for a few days and then a cane if needed. Meniscus (cartilage) Repair patients cannot do twisting, pivoting, squatting, deep knee bends or impact activities for four months.
Three months following meniscal repair if pain and disability persist, a failed meniscal repair may be suspected and can be confirmed by performing a repeat arthroscopy. Factors that may cause a failed meniscal repair include: Patients older than 40 years of age. Delayed treatment.
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].
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.
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.
Recovery depends on the amount of work which has been done within the knee, but usually meniscus repair is done via keyhole surgery. In terms of symptoms: Pain is usually managed by simple painkillers such as paracetamol. Swelling in the knee is to be expected for approximately 3 – 6 months.
There are several causes of post-operative knee pain. These include complications of the surgery, such as infection or spontaneous osteonecrosis of the knee. Others, like a slow recovery, may indicate other medical problems. Check with your doctor if your post-op knee pain doesn't improve.
Recovery from arthroscopic meniscus repair usually requires a period of limited weight-bearing (using crutches or walker), limited motion, and sometimes use of a knee brace. It usually takes about 4 to 8 weeks for patients to increase weight bearing and range of motion.
Most meniscal surgeries (95%) are partial meniscectomies where part of the meniscus is actually removed, not just repaired. Therefore, the remaining meniscus is now smaller and does not perform as well.
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.
Initially, you may not feel any pain after the tear, even if you continue playing your sport. But after one or two days, there will be pain, swelling of the knee and stiffness.
Make sure to balance your activity with rest and continue with your home exercise program. You will have some pain, discomfort and stiffness after surgery. It is important to create a pain plan to follow at home. Follow your surgeon's instructions for pain medicine.
Walking up or down stairs may be particularly painful, and may also cause increased swelling in the knee.
It's typically done as an arthroscopic procedure. This involves small incisions, about a centimeter long, where an arthroscope (a small surgical camera) and small instruments are inserted so part or all of the meniscus can be removed.