What to do and not to do after microfracture surgery

[CloudyBerets]

What not to do: Based on personal experience.I feel you should not do any weight bearing activities for atleast a year.I had phys therapist(most dont know how to handle microfracture) who had me doing ankle weights 9 weeks post surgery.That was a mistake.The biggest mistake was on my own,when I joined the gym 6 months post surgery thinking my leg was strong enough.I did leg presses and hamstring curls.HUGE MISTAKE.It took 2 months for me to be pain free after gym experiment.My knee is much worse now.

What to do: You tell me.It looks like Im having surgery again this year.Almost 2 years removed from micro surgery.

[mouk786]

I guess it depends on how big the issue was to start with

non weight bearing for a YEAR is a long time.

i believe fairly standard advice is 6 weeks and I went roughly for 6 weeks.

[Snowy]

I have to disagree with you on this. Recovery from microfracture is an individual process, and what you should and shouldn't do depends completely on where the lesion is and its size. I personally know people who have made excellent, uncomplicated recoveries from microfracture who were weightbearing from day one, but that's because their lesions were in NWB areas. For weightbearing areas, 6 - 8 weeks is normal and the majority of patients recover in this time. A year NWB is really excessive, and runs the risk of introducing severe complications due to muscle atrophy and even loss of bone density due to lack of use. Be very careful recommending something this extreme to other people; your case is at odds with typical recovery times, and what may have been right for you may not be right for everyone.

The thing to do after microfracture surgery is to get a detailed rehab protocol from your surgeon, and make sure you're working with a PT who understands the nature of microfracture and is prepared to follow the surgeon's protocol. If things aren't working, go back to your surgeon or seek a second opinion if you don't feel that their advice is sound. Beyond that, I really don't think you can give generalized advice.

[slyguy1]

It is an unfortunate life altering process to go thru this type of surgery as i also have gone thru also. What i learned on my own is that you have to take it as a wakeup call to take care of the rest of your body....by doing the best you can to strengthen major muscle groups you take stress off the knee. Many out there probably know this already but we tend to forget the importance of doing the basics when life gets in the way......on days i don't work out i feel it at the core and on days i get a session in i feel there is hope. Deep down i know the time will come when a replacement is needed but i pray technology will come up with the right solution 5-10 years down the line.