ATHROSCOPY AND RETURNING TO RUNNING

Hi all

Injured my knee fishing , yes fishing 13 months ago when the platform I was stood on collapsed. This resulted in tibia head bruising and a torn medial meniscus which was only discovered 7 weeks ago. Basically had surgery on Thursday and had the damaged part of my medial meniscus removed. Currently off work. I have stopped taking painkillers and I am doing basic exercises. There is some swelling but not bad and next to no bruising. I am in the Berlin marathon. I managed to train fairly well considering the state of my knee and have done a 19 mile run and also ran 46 miles 2 weeks before surgery. I hope to be jogging lightly at 2 weeks after a few days of gentle cycling on an exercise bike. Is this to soon? I am not going to push through pain but the damage I expected  doesnt seem to bad.

 

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Comments

  • stutyrstutyr ✭✭✭

    Everyone is different, and everyone will react differently.  But I would urge caution - my initial recovery was quick, with no painkillers needed the day after and able to walk rather than limp within a few days. However the bit that took longest to recover was the deep bruising under the knee and around the inside of my leg, which made the knee tender to touch and unstable when load bearing.  

    All told, it took me about 12 weeks to be back to normal, although I probably could have started running after about 10 (I ended up getting over-cautious towards the end as I'd been a bit too keen at the start).   Between 8 and 12 weeks I started cycling, gradually building over the weeks until the knee felt stable when sprinting out of the saddle.     

    The consultant who operated on me had said it would be two months until it was back to normal, which suggests I took a bit longer than average to recover. 

    As I said, everyone is different so you may be back after two weeks but don't be too concerned if it takes a bit longer as it will recover after a relatively short while.

  • Go CazGo Caz ✭✭✭

    I saw a consultant the other day about an arthroscopy and he told me it would take six to eight weeks to return to running or cycling. He said it would more likely be eight for the average person, six for elites who have more facilities to help them recover. 

  • I had arthroscopy 19 may, and the consultant said before op when they planned to do microfracture, lateral release and spring clean, that would be running in 12 weeks.i had meniscus trim, lateral release, tidy up of tibial plateau and femoral condyle.had good recovery , stopped pain killers 2 days after op, ditched crutvhrs , went wel til week 7 , swelling would not go.ten weeks in , settling well but defo no cycling or running.

  • Thanks for the replies. I have downloaded a variety of data sheets from different clinics. One in particular says light cycling , jogging 7-10 days. Others say 6-8 weeks. I know I had a decent sized portion of medial meniscus out. Havent spoken to the surgeon but I dont think he did anything else. Gonna try 30 minutes gentle on an exercise bike tonight. I will go carefully and see how it reacts. I wont to attempt to run round a field in 7 more days. Cheers. Peter
  • StuTStuT ✭✭✭

    Hi Peter,

    What was the timeline in your surgery, did you go NHS.
    What was the wait time for your MRI scan and then the wait time for your OP.

    I ask becasue I may need to go doen the same path...

    Cheers.

  • Hi Stu. Had 2 doctors appointments as the first just sent me home. Got referred to our Ramsey Health Care unit. Had an MRI after 3 weeks. found bone bruising and micro fractures . Rested for 3 months. Had loads of problems at work , knee locking pain etc. Begged the surgeon to see me again. He did. Had another mri and found a large meniscus tear. Waited 3 weeks for the scan then 4 weeks to see the surgeon then three further weeks for the op.

  • Stu/ Peter sorry to jump in but im on the same path so I thought you might be interested. I saw my doctor in march And got a consultant appointment in April. Was sent for xrays then an MRI which showed some mild cartridge damage and a misaligned patella. He tried a cortisone injection and referred me for Physio to try to rebuild my wasted muscles but the knee was too swollen to work with.  Went back to the consult and he confirmed surgery was my only option (Lateral release) He took a fair amount if fluid off to keep me mobile while I wait for a date -  nothing through yet but hopefully will be 'done' in September.    It feels like a lifetime that I've not been able to run or cycle.  Please keep posting as I would like to hear  how you both get on. Thanks 

  • StuTStuT ✭✭✭

    Hi Peter/MM,
    Good to hear your stories, hope everything goes okay, keep the updates posted on here.
    My situation is 18 months of niggly knee pain, on the medial side of left knee, been to physio who gave me strengthening exercises, my VMO and quads are good and my biomechanics have been checked and are okay. I still get a pain on the days after a run, I can play sqaush, circuits, cycle and have no reaction, it's only a running that aggrevates it, physio thinks it could be a slight tear or issue in the medial meniscus. I went to the Doctors on Tuesday who referred me for an MRI scna, hopefully within the next 4 weeks. I love running, always have and as much as I can do the cross training stuff, I want to run far more regularly than I do.  

  • Today is a good day. 2 weeks after surgery I just hit 25 miles on my bike on a fairly hilly circuit and after a little audible pop after 2 miles I had no pain whatsoever throughout. Its always trapped and played up cycling and half locked putting my foot down to balance. Funny how you get used to things. Going across the field tomorrow and will aim for a general 10. Did daily 30 minute bursts on my exercise bike last week. I sympathise with anyone battling an injury like this. I have Berlin end of September then Paris next year. I now expect to be able to run 20 miles by the end of August. I had a full ankle reconstruction five years ago. All my ligament were destroyed and my heel was splintering. This ankle has done 8 marathons without a twinge. Paris though will be my 10th and last marathon.Point of interest. I ran 46 miles in a week before the operation including a half marathon. I couldnt run downhill at this point or go round left hand corners running. Pain was awfull. This has however kept my fitness level up. Only swelling in my knee at present are two bumps where the surgical instruments went in.

  • That's brilliant Peter really good to hear of a positive result 

  • Got up this morning. Walked round the corner with the garmin on and started running. Hurt at first so I stopped then ran 5.7. Miles in 41 minutes and stopped. My inner quad is weaker on the operated knee as are my hamatrings but not bad image . Cycle tomorrow then run again Monday. Think you must completely stop the first week but do the exercises they give you. A positive attitude helps.
  • run 5.7 , 5 7 and 7.2 miles this week. knee is a bit stiff and its sore running downhill. now 3 weeks from surgery. going to swim today and try 10 tomorrow.

     

  • Encouraging Peter. Thanks for the update. I'm scheduled for 4th September so running during November may be on the cards if im lucky and your progress is anything to go on  

  • Hi Minnie  , maybe a bit foolish who knows but went 13.1 today. knee hurt at first then settled. Luckily ran past some posh farmhouses so the verges were cut. Noticable difference running on softer ground. 

     

  • Did you start Physio straight after your op Peter ? 

  • yes. You get some exercises to do straight away. Fairly basic but definately worth doing to get your joint moving.

  • I'm 6 days post-op for my posterior medial meniscectomy and it all seems fine so far although I've not attempted to do anything serious on it yet bar some simple exercises to get the knee moving.

    prior to the op I couldn't stand from sitting without pain and discomfort and that has disappeared almost immediately which I am grateful for.  swelling around the knee has reduced a lot but still there above the knee but that's gradually getting better.  the steristripped scars are are now starting to itch which is telling me that they are healing well - I'll take them off on Friday (9days) to see how they're looking and re-strip if needed.   crutches lasted 5 mins (to leave hospital!) and not been used since....image

    as an over-60, I have some signs of arthritis in the knee but it's minor but my surgeon has categorically told me no running for at least 6 weeks or I risk not recovering fully as it will take longer at my age.  he's happy to have me biking and swimming as long as I don't go nuts and I will stick to this.   

    overall - I'm a lot happier post-op and my wife says I'm smiling again rather than grimacing.  image

  • Sounds good so far FB image Hope the recovery continues x 

  • Ran 7.5 miles Tues , cycled 40 Wed , gym for an hour Thurs , ran 12 Fri and 19 today. Secret for me is to ice the night before I run to get the swelling down. It lumps up where the instruments went in. Walking still hurts.

  • steristrips came off over the weekend and scars have healed nicely.   still some stiffness in the knee which isn't surprising as it's only 2 weeks tomorrow that I had the op.

    knee feels good, bar the stiffness and some swelling if I stand on it for a long time (as I did Sat and Sun at an off-road tri which I was supposed to be racing but got involved on the organisation side instead).   my injury induced limp is reducing and walking is fine but too early to try a run yet.  I'll get on the bike turbo this week to turn the legs over without impact and start the road back to fitness.

    physio appt tomorrow - be interesting to see what they think.

  • Icing helps a lot. I still get 2 lumps where the athroscope and instruments went in. I can now put all my weight on both knees.

  • I've been using a Cryocuff - http://www.firstaid4sport.co.uk/Aircast-Cryo-Cuff-Cooler-PAC200/ - bought cheap off ebay.    it was recommended by a friend who used it when he had an ACL op who said it worked well for him.   it ices and compresses at the same time.

    not used it every day but just those days when I felt I needed it perhaps due to extra swelling or a bit more discomfort.

    I also have a lump where the main work was done, but the other scar is fine.  the lump will go in due course

  • After my arthroscopies I found that swimming helped to reduce swelling.

    Didn't need to be a strenuous session, even a 20 minute dip of gentle front crawl worked. I think it is because the muscles are working and that helps move the fluid away from the knee - but at the same time there is no weight being put through the leg.

    Would probably need to be done with good swimming form, straight leg, kick from the hip, relax the ankles - so as not to aggravate anything.

  • I've been swimming in the sea since the op and since I wear a wetsuit for that I don't use my legs and just leg them dangle behind me.  it felt great!

  • shant bore you all now but I went 16 miles mainly cross country and canal Wednesday and 21.3 road miles today. Knee was pain free today.

  • Went swimming on Monday and that the first time for over a year my knee didnt hurt at all.

  • Day 3 post surgery. leg is a bit sore and stiff but I'm working on the exercises to improve flexibility and icing whenever I can. In all I freel pretty good, considering how early it is. 

  • Hope all goes well. I would recommend you do the best you can regards the exercises, icing but mainly resting. Do next to nothing else and I am sure your recovery will be quicker. Take care.
  • I'll continue to post updates in case someone else is looking for a comparison in the future.   Day 11. Moderate swelling and occasional twinges if I forget and twist the knee. Normal walking is fine but I've not been too far  to test it.  I'm icing regularly to keep the swelling under control and I'm doing the Physio exercises.   The flexibility is pretty good Considering the joint is swollen. 

  • Good news. I have run a couple of 20 milers and my knee is really good now. Still hurts if I catch it on a rug though. Very happy.
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