Meniscus tear - Surgery 5 months ago - unable to kneel.

[k0pp0]

Hello folks, first time posting on here, but I've been sniffing around for a while 

I had a bucket tear on the inside of my left knee about 2 years ago, and in my infinite wisdom (and a useless doctor) didn't worry about the occaisional pain until it got to the point where I could hardly walk (January this year).

Never had any locking of the knee, just occaisional swelling and a lack of ROM. I was able to kneel, but I would pay dearly for it later on.

So, skip to June this year - Bupa operation later to tidy up the tear. It's now November, and I still cannot kneel down completely, although I have 95-odd% ROM. If I do attempt to kneel, my left leg cramps, and I can only just get past a 45 degree angle (does that make sense?). It feels as though the knee has something stopping it going any further.

Whilst attempting to kneel I also get pretty some pretty intense pain at the back of the knee, at the top of the calf muscle..

Can anyone help/suggest anything?

Many thanks,
Gary

[eaglemom]

Well I'm just 2 weeks post op myself and certainly won't ever kneel down.  The os made that perfectly clear that was one thing I won't be able to do.  I've had surgery on my other knee (r) and that os said no kneeling either.  I will admit one time on my r knee I did try to kneel while doing something, I've forgotten what, and it certainly wasn't comfortable and I won't do it again.  Did the os tell you you'd be able to kneel?  Of course I couldn't before surgery so its nothing odd for my knees.  Just ask questions.

[k0pp0]

Asked the physio a million times if I'd be able to kneel, she said 'give it 6 months'.. I had nearly full ROM pretty much the week after the op, so I was assuming that it wouldn't be a massive leap to be able to kneel. I need to go and see the specialist methinks.

[Nettan]

Could be that you still are missing enough muscles and put too much strain on the knee.
Not everyone will get back to kneeling after knee surgery.
Are you doing any stretching of your muscles ? Maybe they are stopping you.

[jathib]

 
Can anyone help/suggest anything?

I'd suggest stop trying to kneel. Why do you need to anyway? I haven't been able to kneel in over 34 years and I've found that it's really not a necessary part of life. My 'good' knee has a bone spur right on the kneecap and I haven't been able to kneel on that knee in a couple of years. So now I have an excuse to make my husband clean the bathtub.

[k0pp0]

Thanks folks (so far)

@Nettan.. Yes, I'm stretching but there is defiantely some muscle tightness there still..

@Jathib.. I train heavily in a martial art that involves a lot of kneeling, so I'd like to get back to where I was pre-op (in pain but able to kneel). But obviously without the pain 

[ChrisC]

Like the others I haven't been able to kneel for years but am hoping to be able to do so in a few months. Reasons for me wanting to kneel are that I like camping (hard to put a tent up without kneeling) and I need to decorate the house(again hard to do the bottom bits without kneeling). The pain at the back of the knee at the top of the calf muscle might be a Baker's Cyst - I got one after I had my meniscus tear repaired. Feel the back of your knees and see if there is a lump on one compared to the other. If there is, then it should go away by itself in time, but you could check out the section on Bakers Cysts in here somewhere.
Regards
Chris

[fuzzyfurball]

I still can't kneel either without intense pain. I can for a few seconds on something soft, but then it starts hurting. I also cannot squat past 45 degrees. My right knee (the good one) is now damaged and hurts to kneel on that one too.  I was told that it would take time, and i was also told that I shouldn't kneel. PT told me that it will always be uncomfortable to kneel.

Another issue I notice too, is when I sit in chair and try to bend my left knee back that I get a poking sensation and it hurts. I have NO idea why, but it's the reason I can't kneel either! (BTW, my surgery was 5 months ago too. OS said it would take nearly a year to get back to old self, but i really don't think I'll be as good as new anymore!