Anyone else had a meniscal repair??? HELP!!

[AndrewC]

Hi all

I know some of you must have had meniscal repair as I did nearly six weeks ago .......................


(on an acute (locked knee) bucket handle tear to lateral meniscus)) and I would be really grateful if you could share your rehab experiences with me!I am aware of the technical side to this injury but just want to see how others have fared with a similar injury (any meniscus repair!)

It has caused loads more grief than I was hoping for and although I am in a ROM brace and can hobble without crutches it just seems to be taking Soooo long to heal. I know its around three months for the actual tear to heal (hopefully) but how did other people find the recovery? How long did it take you? Are you fully better? (sports etc?)


Anyway, I had to wait four weeks for the op (NHS!) and so I lost loads of muscle and movement during this time(and was in agony!). This has made the situation worse and I cant start PT until Im out of the ROM brace (a week or so) so I feel like Im not getting very far at all in recovery.... My knee feels VERY weak and occasionally when I bend it and straighten I can hear a weird grinding/sliding noise and my patella seems to catch on something and then slide back to the correct position?? This only started after I have been off crutches and it is hopefully the breaking up of the scar tissue !! as the knee generally is more mobile (to 90') but I dont see my surgeon for another three weeks so any ideas / info would be welcomed!!

Thanks in advance

[heather k from wales]

Hi Andrew,
I had a meniscus repair in 1994.  I had a displaced bucket handle tear and my knee was truly locked until I had surgery.  Luckily I had just a 3 day wait for the op.
The 2nd time my knee locked , again with a displaced bucket handle tear was in 2001.  The NHS 'hand' specialist I saw the next day told me my knee was'nt locked and it took me 3 long painful weeks to see my usual knee OS as an urgent case!.  Of cource my knee WAS locked and within a few hours of seeing him, I was on the operating table.

In June 1994 I had a medial meniscus repair by open surgery, 3 x 1" incisions around the medial side of my knee.  I was put in a full leg plaster and NWB for 6 weeks.  Once the plaster was removed, my leg was extremely painful, weak and unstable.  I was unable to walk without crutches for a further 6 weeks due to weakness, pain and gross instability due to a complete tear of the ACL and LCL.

My memory of rehab is pretty vague because it has been 10 years since then.

I remember the surface of my knee felt extremely smooth when it moved and slid around (due to the lack of ligaments).

I got my full ROM back well before I had the ACL/LCL Reconstruction which I had in February 1995.

In 2001 My knee locked again.  My OS was surprised the repair lasted so long!.  I never expected to have trouble with it again.  I then had a menisectomy, removing 90% of the medial meniscus.
Since the menisectomy, I have had continuous trouble with my knee feeling as if it is about to lock again and a similar feeling to locking where I need to force my knee back until there is a loud klonk inside my knee to relieve the feeling.

Since then I have had 3 further ops to try and resolve the problems I am having.  So far without success.

Good luck with your recovery,

Heather