When the meniscus root is repaired there will be a prolonged period of restricted weight bearing and range of motion to protect the Timeline for Meniscus Repair Recovery: It will take around 4-6 weeks before you can walk, drive, and otherwise move normally as you would prior to your injury. As a result, two weeks after surgery I was able to start driving my car, which is a manual. You will begin to focus on regaining your ROM and begin more in muscle strengthening. Im telling you right now its going to take six to 12 months just erase that number that they gave you in your head and i wouldnt go argue with them because they may not have all the knowledge and understanding behind it and truth be told surgeons oftentimes you know once they finish their surgery theyre kind of done with you. If your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again. Fortunately, this is usually done arthroscopically and with good results. If one has too much arthritis, then the chance of a meniscus root repair helping one to slow down the progression of arthritis is probably not worth having the meniscus root repaired. If you had a knee surgery if youve been seen physical therapy or any other health care professionals and theyre telling you youll be fine in three months back to normal youll be dancing youll be exercising youll be playing with the grandkids again just smile and remember this video. After repairing the meniscus root, it is imperative that the patient remain 100% non-weight bearing for 6 weeks. xYIoH8(Jr@fI)/_U}|xW&JDIraqm Fig 1 (A) Meniscus 4 A-II device. How long recovery takes depends on the type of meniscus surgery and the severity of the injury, but expect two weeks down time, at minimum. And its really concerning and very disappointing for somebody whos gone through the knee surgery. So happy I found them! I was cleared to drive at my followup appointment 2 weeks after surgery, which was exactly what my surgeon had told me to expect. I would recommend his services to anyone. Just its a big deal to take your time and let that cartilage heal at the rate that it heals you generally can go faster than what it heals, And the question that i get often is do i take any supplements glucosamine chondroitin those types of supplements and you know the answer to that is its not going to hurt we the research is kind of mixed on it sometimes it helps sometimes it doesnt help what we know is that it generally doesnt hurt it doesnt make it worse so youre not going to youre not going to make things worse if you decide to take those supplements are generally safe to take but some people report no difference. Dr. Burnham & his staff are very personable & caring. Conservative treatment methods are typically reserved for patients who would not recover well with surgery (i.e. In particular, it has been found that one of the most common reasons why younger patients need total knee replacements is because of a neglected or undiagnosed meniscus root tear leading to the development of osteoarthritis. And get the pain under control and recover normally the way that you should have once you start doing the right things. And unless you have been following my Instagram page and know about my rehab, you would never even know that I had knee surgery. I limped from the wedding venue to the car, and then from the car to my house. 2700 Vikings Circle First, we performed quantitative anatomy studies, which allowed us to see exactly where a meniscus root tear should be reattached. Meniscal Ramp Lesions. Definitely a Bakers Cyst, my doctor said when I saw him. Most patients will also have some numbness around the surgical incision, but this is not a true complication and is anticipated with any type of surgical incision. endobj
Knows his stuff. Meniscal repairs offer the benefit of preserving the native meniscus, but they require a longer rehabilitation protocol as compared to a meniscectomy. His staff is very friendly and upbeat, knowledgeable and thorough. In January of this year, I finally decided to go back to my doctor to get that MRI. In general, almost all meniscus root tears require a 6-week period of being nonweightbearing to maximize the healing potential. Dr. Jeremy Burnham did a reconstruction of my ACL on April 19th. The next steps involve placing self-capture sutures into the end of the meniscus root and then drilling cannulas into the area that was decorticated such that the sutures placed into the meniscus can be shuttled down the cannulas and then tied over the tibia. And then after the surgery, the focus is doing physical therapy, typically if he gets sent there, and youre going to lose some motion in the surgery so your knee wont be able to bend or straighten all the way. Very reassuring, showed me X-rays and explained the healing process very clearly. The swelling started to go down, but there was now a lump behind my knee that felt like fluid. They walked me through the process from beginning to end. These two steps are considered to be the two main preparation steps, where the release of adhesions to be able to allow the meniscus to be pulled back in the joint and also decortication of bone to prepare a bony bed to repair the meniscus back to the tibia. Ive dealt with other knee doctors in prior injuries, but Dr. Burham and his team clearly stood out. After meniscal surgery, rehabilitation with a physical therapist or athletic trainer is needed to restore range of motion, strength, movement control and guide the athlete's return to sport. Meniscal Root Repair Post-operative Rehabilitation Protocol Phase 1: 0-2 weeks post-operatively Goals . The healing phase is long, but he does A+ work. My right knee was totally destroyed; ACL, MCL, PCL all severely torn; the patella was the only thing intact in my right knee. While regular functionality isn't immediate, patients will be asked to move the knee within 1-2 days after surgery. If a meniscal root tear is left untreated, meniscal extrusion can occur rendering the meniscus nonfunctional resulting in degenerative arthritis. Dr. Robert F. LaPrade operated on my right knee in May of 2010. Most root tears involve either a direct tear of the meniscus off bone or a split of the meniscus within 1 cm of the root attachment. Each week my leg brace is put to a different degree so I learn to bend my knee again. endobj
Meniscus root repair is a surgery performed to repair a torn meniscus root. Later that day, I trained. Full recovery usually takes 6 months but can take up to 1 year. Had I not been training all these years, I would not have had the slightest idea of how to rehab my knee after surgery. My wait time for office visits has always been less than 10 minutes. I really like and appreciate the time and effort he commits to research. The American Journal of Sports Medicine. Country. Little information has been published regarding specific rehabilitation parameters for meniscal root repairs through all phases of rehabilitation. The RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation) principle can be useful in the first several days after a meniscus tear to help reduce inflammation, swelling, and pain. Single leg deadlifts on the good leg, reverse hypers, and dumbbell bench. Educational text answers on HealthTap are not intended for individual diagnosis, treatment or prescription. Jerrica, Dr. Burnham, and the therapy staff (Luke and Joey )were awesome. Oftentimes, after having a meniscus surgery, people are told that theyll be fine. And slowly, I started bending the knee more, and eventually took the box away from my bench. So that means youre good to go after two to three months. Typically begins 3-5 days after surgery; Precautions Toe touch weight bearing with brace; Gradually unlock brace for 6 weeks; after 6 weeks no brace Prior to Starting Strength, I would have simply gone to physical therapy, done my exercises like the therapist told me to do, and that would have been it. We recognized that meniscus root tears were a problem over 10 years ago and set out to perform a comprehensive research program to help us figure out how to diagnose the problem, where to place the meniscus repair, and how best to fix the meniscus tear to allow for maximal healing capability. That means that the remaining meniscus is smaller, but still taking the same pressure. . Please note, we cannot prescribe controlled substances, diet pills, antipsychotics, or other abusable medications. A Guide to Orthopedic Care, Pediatric & Adolescent Sports Medicine Injuries, Get the Perfect Grip on Your Next Game: Adaptive Golf Gloves, Healthcare Journal of Baton Rouge Mentions Dr. Burnham Performing New Surgery to Repair Torn ACL, Sports Medicine Near Me: Finding the Right Doctor for You, When to See a Doctor for Knee Pain When Bending: The Complete Guide, 11 Benefits of Exercise: It Can Change Your Life, Knee Bursitis: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment Options, Your Childs Knocked Knees: Everything You Need to Know, BioUni OATS Procedure Cartilage Replacement for the Knee, Capsulorraphy Shoulder Stabilization Procedure. A friend of mine picked me up, and took me to the gym, where I coached my clients, sometimes sitting, sometimes standing. One of the main portions of the system is a guide that can be placed inside the joint that fits around the tibial eminences and allows the surgeon to place the tip of the guide right at the area that has been decorticated of bone, where one wants to perform the root repair tunnel. Range of motion exercises occur more slowly than a standard meniscus repair and will continue for the first 4 weeks. It can also occur while bending the knee deeply. I am 5-months post surgery, and am doing great, stationary biking and exercising every day, no pain.You know you are seeing the best when you find out he has written over 500 medical journal articles - among many other accomplishments. I highly recommend him. Stationary biking is allowed after 6-weeks with Dr. Nwachukwus approval and assessment of healing. Protect repair Minimize pain Minimize swelling We have published and validated our results in the peer-reviewed literature, which was at the time the largest series of meniscus root repairs reported. In some instances, the meniscus posterior horn may need to be released from scar tissue to allow it to be repositioned. . An iatrogenic meniscus root tear means that a tunnel was drilled for an ACL or PCL reconstruction and hit the meniscus root and detached it from bone. Sit at home on the couch and watch T.V.? If youre watching this video today, and youre considering having a meniscus surgery for your knee, then youll want to listen closely so that you dont make this mistake after you have your meniscus surgery. And the good news is that it can be helped without another surgery.