I am set for surgery this tuesday for torn meniscus and looking to slowtwitch for some advice. Im signed up for my 2nd ironman, IMFL on Nov. 1st. My sprots med dr. said I should be able to swim and spin and about a week and run in about 4. Has anyone else been in this same sort of situation where an injury just leaves about 6 weeks of training. If so what is a way to maximize my training in this short amount of time. My goals (was) for this IM were 1:10 swim, 21mph bike and 4 hr Marathon. Im trying to make the best of this situation and any advice would be greatly appreciated.
I had meniscus surgery in January of 2010. I walked out of the clinic and began stationary cycling the day after on the advice of the surgeon. I didn’t use any tension on the bike for the first month. The purpose was to get blood flowing around the affected area. I was advised to wait at least six weeks before running, which I did, but I went too hard too soon which may have caused some IT band issues later on.
I didn’t swim for a few weeks after surgery, and when I returned to the pool I didn’t kick much (not a big change for me) and pushed gently off the wall.
My advice is be patient. I assume your doc will be your best resource for feedback and direction.
Jim
First, disclaimer, your doctor is your best source of advice, but what fun it that.
How old are you? And any previous issues?
After a lifetime of doing stupid stuff, sports, 10 years of triathlon, etc. I tore my meniscus doing landscaping when I tried to flip a large rock out of my way with my foot. I think I was 41 when I did it.
About 6 weeks after surgery I was able to play basketball, but had to use a cane the day after the first game. I may not have been the best patient as I really wanted it healed up and did not take my time in letting it happen. Most of the issues I had with soreness were around strengthening the muscles around my knee. Those lingered for quite a while until I made a concerted effort to specifically strengthen that leg. I did it mostly by doing layup drills jumping off that leg (and dunking on a lowered rim, gradually raising it to give myself a goal to shoot for).
My $.02 is that if I were able to train through it then I would wait until after the race. If I were not, I’d go in with very lowered expectations and maybe think about making it an aquabike followed by a long walk.
I can say that 6 years after it is easy for me to forget that there was anything ever wrong with that knee.
I am 56 and had meniscus surgery Apr 9 this year. I started swimming a few days later, cycling easy in a week. I started easy running in 4 weeks and did a sprint triathlon on May 25. No swelling or any pain so far. The scar tissue on the front of my kneecap where the scope went in took a few weeks to stop being sore when I kneeled on it. I went to physio therapy a couple of times but the exercises were all ones that I could do myself at home or at the YMCA so I stopped. My doctor told me that sometimes the muscles around the knee shrink after surgery. In my case that did not happen and I hardly lost any strength.
Hi,
I have had Three (yes three) meniscus repair surgeries as well as a Hight Tibial Osteotemy.
I think that everyone is different. That being said, I would not rush your recovery just to race. It may take you a considerable amount of time until you can run “Normal” again. This may be 5 weeks or 5 months. Taking things slow is key to your recovery. You dont want to hurt yourself again just for a race.
I know that this is not what you want to hear but you may be better off looking for a race next year.
Find a PT that has the “Game-Time” Ice machine. The machine alone reduced my post surgery swelling by 50%. The Alter-G treadmills were still too new when I had surgery back in 2010 but everyone I know that’s used them post-surgery swears by them. You might want to see if your area PT has one of those as well.