So I had the scope surgery done two weeks ago today. I’ve read and re-read all the posts on ST about recovery time, back to training volume, etc, but what I’m wondering is when I can put my leg on the ground? The doc told me no weight bearing for six weeks, and I’ve listened to him. I know a couple of you out there have had this procedure, and if you would be so kind, when were you able to walk, climb a flight of stairs, do laundry, etc without crutches? Thank you very much.
For the micro fracture it depends on how big the area of repaired cartilage is and whether it is bone on bone at the moment. I had a micro fracture and lateral release done in June of 2009. When I went under the knife we didn’t know what the doctor would find. When I googled what ultimately been done I got real nervous because I had read plenty of people who had to stay on crutches for months and use repetitive motion machines for hours on end. I was lucky though in that the cartilage surrounding my micro-fracture site was able bear weight while the clot was reshaped into replacement cartilage through rehab. I was off crutches and limping around with a few days and was able to get on an exercise bike with in 3 weeks. The daily bike was an important part of my rehab and involved a real gradual build up (starting with a few minutes and adding 2-3 minutes a week). I was able to use an elliptical after about 6 weeks. I was able to start jogging a bit at about 3-4 month’s post-op. I did a 19:10 5K at about 10 months post-op and raced an Olympic Distance Oly 1 month after that. For a good year and a half after surgery my knee still felt weak at times during runs and always when going down stairs. My knee feels good now though I cannot do leg extensions at all. Even if I try to do 10 lbs on the machine it feels ‘bad’ so I don’t even try them. I do body weight squats, leg presses and simple light weighted leg lifts and scissors to try to keep my quads strong enough to help protect my knee.
For what it is worth I am a male and was 36 when I had the surgery. My doctor recently told me that the micro-fractures will usually fail with in 10 years (sometimes sooner) but that medicine around replacement cartilage was moving so fast that there would be something much better available when mine does.
Wait a sec. Your doctor told you when you can put your foot on the ground but you want someone here to tell you differently? Sorry I’m not trying to be nasty but that’s a fair interpretation of what I just read and sounds like a bad idea.
Hey guys, and thank you for the information. And Joe, I should have been more specific in asking my question. I wasn’t looking for someone to tell me differently, but rather I should have asked what other folks have experienced personally; from their docs and what they were actually able to do.
Hi, I had micro fracture surgery in October 2008, I went to one of the best knee doctors in LA at Kerlan and Jobe, I followed all the necessary post op requirements, used a passive motion machine for about 3 weeks, stayed off the leg for about 6 weeks using crutches and did all the required physical therapy and more at home. Apparently I had a quarter size cartilage removed as it had lifted from the top of the tibia. This injury just happened one day out running then something caused the problem. Up to this point I had been running for over 30 years, I was 52 at the time of the surgery. Since then I have run off and on, but nothing over 6 miles, I have also had Synvisc injections twice a year to just help with the joint; the rest of my knee is apparently good. When running I don’t run more than 3 times a week, I can bike just fine and still do hundred mile rides, swimming is fine once in a while it will ache from the kicking, but overall it sucks big time not being able to run properly as that was my passion along with Ironman distance races as I had done over 21 before the surgery. I found taking a few weeks off in between some active running helps with the constant ache, but the other thing is I am trying to preserve my knee. Good luck to you in your rehabilitation but you will change the mind set of worrying about missing a day or two of training or running after this, just take things slow, let it heal and don’t push the running if you are able to run, some people seem to be lucky and return no problems how or why I don’t know luck I guess but when it is bone on bone in the joint you will feel it unfortunately. Cheers Rob
Cool. I didn’t mean to overreact but I’ve seen people on other forums do what I ***thought ***you were doing. Makes me wince.
Where your MFX is plays a big role in that regard.
As far as the repair (repair, right, and not a clip?)…six weeks NWB segueing into partial/toe touch doesn’t sound too freakish, although it does seem like the protocols are getting shorter lately. But every doc (and repair) is probably different.
Microfracture November 2009, 2 lesions. I stayed off for 6 weeks as ordered by the doctor. I was walking about 8 weeks post surg with a good limp. I was walking upstairs within a few months and downstairs within 6 months. I lost an unbelievable amount of strength the first 6 weeks, but I was disciplined and stayed off the injured leg. I was on the bike in the spring and rode over 3000 miles over the summer. I eventually got to “running” around 8 months. it was more of a shuffle or fast walk. I started off doing 10 yards at a time, 4 every lap. I walked probably 12-15 miles a week. I increased my running frequency in small doses, 10 yrds, 20 yrds, 50 yrds, 100yrds, 200 yrds, etc…, letting pain be my guide. I ran my first mile 1 year to the day of surgery. This last week I was able to run 12 miles. I have my first race planned in June and the goal is just to start and finish. Recovery is long and hard. You have to be patient. I had tons of clicking and locking early on but that is now gone. It was/is brutal, but it does matter the size and location of your lesion. Good luck
2x boost and Rob. Be patient. I wasn’t back at it as quick as they were. I didn’t jog for eight years after. Cycling and swimming took its place. Kids were groing up and I was coaching soccer, limping around the pitch. After the 8 yr. layoff I started walking the stairs at work (ten flights). I would take two risers at a time each way. Going down was where I gained a lot of strength. Started getting my core in order, too.The pain went away and I started walking over the winter and started running that summer. I can only run 3 days a week but with cross-training to fill in the gaps I’m four years back into tri’s. Sprints and oly’s but my run miliage is back up to where LSD runs are 9-10 miles so a 70.3 is on the schedule for July. Good luck to you, just be patient.
I had surgery Feb 12, 2010. I had 2 tears on the lateral meniscus (front and back) which were cleaned up and about a dime size area where micro fracture was done. I stuck to the full 6 weeks on crutches. Since micro surgery is hit and miss if it works the more time you give it the better the chances - at least that is what my doc said. It wasn’t about running a few weeks after surgery for me, it was about running 5 years from now. Once off crutches I was able to go up and down stairs pretty easily. I did everything my physio told me to do which I think helped get flexibility and strength back. Leg strength will be a big issue with stairs so you will need to work hard at that but it will pay off. I did my first run in October and did a few during the fall and have run a couple of times a week up to about 40 min before things get a bit tender so I stop. Cycling has been no issue at all. I did a bunch of road and cyclo cross races without any issue. Swimming was fine as well but hard pushes off the wall caused some pain early. Pushing the knee to full extension under load sometimes causes it to swell but it seems to be getting better. I have played hockey which caused some swelling but no pain so I think that has to do with scar tissue breaking up when the knee is under full load and extension. I tend to get clicking in it from time to time but that goes away and is scar tissue related as well.
I am hopeful that I will be back doing tris this summer but will stick to sprints for a while.
Good luck with the recovery. If you don’t have a cryo sleeve you may want to look into it as it was awesome for icing my knee.
Also technical shirts are great to wear with your crutches as they will stop underarm chaffing.
Thank you all for your input, advice, and words of comfort. I had my two week check up yesterday; I need another four weeks on crutches non-weight bearing, then another several weeks with a cane, then hopefully jogging by August. I’ll try update everyone (assuming people out there actually give a rat’s ass about little ‘ol me!) and offer advice to anyone in my situation. It’s kind of tough dealing with this after I worked so hard to get my elite license, then to be sidetracked. We live and learn, huh? Get busy livin’ or get busy dyin’!
A word of advice…i missed where your lesion was, but if it was in a WB area…Give it more time to resume running than you’d think you’d need. Really.
I just had a microfracture surgery done on my left lateral meniscus two and a half weeks ago, along with ACL reconstruction and “general clean-up”. After the second week on crutches I was allowed to do toe touch for balance, but with no other kind of weight bearing for a total of 6 weeks.
I plan to be strict about following my PT’s and my MD’s instructions. My plan is to run my first full Ironman by the time I’m 50 (that’s just under 2 years from now)… if I have to delay it, so be it. I’ll do what I have to do to get healthy and be able to run again.
i had an operation to remove part of my meniscus last year. i walked out of the operating room. was back to full speed in about 6 weeks. i got the injury when i was fighting mma and it never really felt 100% though…needless to say i’m not fighting anymore…
hey everyone, I know this thread is pretty old, but not a lot of knee surgery forums out there…
FYI: I am an american living in germany, and it seems the protocols are a bit different here
Like others, I went in for meniscus tear, and woke up with MF surgery as well. That was 5 weeks ago yesterday. I was on crutches for 4 weeks and was told not to put more than 10kg of weight on my leg until off crutches. I have been having manual lymph drainage (massage) at least twice a week, since the surgery. The four weeks on crutches I pretty much stayed home with my leg up and compression bandages on.
Post op, I was surprised no one ever mentioned anything to me about icing my knee. I had ACL reconstruction before, as well as torn meniscus arthro and ice seemed to be an integral part of recovery. My physiotherapist here said ice is only effective the first 2 days, and after that it can restrict the blood vessels causing swelling to stay or increase. She said keep it cool, but not use ice. (I actually found some recent research that supports that, but still goes against the american way of ice for everything, all the time)
So far my ROM is very good, but I have had a complication with excessive swelling…
I have had to get my knee drained twice so far (in 5 weeks). I have a pocket/band of swelling above my knee (bottom of quad) that seems to be problematic. The first drainage was 150ml of blood, and the one two days ago was 130ml of blood. Anyone also experienced this??? It’s super frustrating.
Also, my doctor told me that the whole glucosamine/chondroitin thing was bs because the supplements can not actually reach the cartilage so it is totally ineffective. It’s all marketing hype.
Would love to hear any feedback on the swelling issue! Thanks - Andy