Forums >Health and Nutrition>Ramping Back Up From Meniscus Surgery
Looking for some help with setting up a training program to get me back in shape after having a torn meniscus "trimmed".
On September 1st I went in for arthroscopic surgery to "clean up" several tears in my meniscus. There was no way to try and save any tissue so there was no stitched mensicus to heal, everything dangling was taken off. Started physical therapy the next day and after three weeks was released to start running again; no limping on the tread mill workout and no swelling following any of the sessions, plus flexibility was back to pre-surgery levels. Didn't really get clear direction on how to proceed with working back into running though, other than getting approval to start with a 1/4 mile walk x 1/4 mile run routine and "stop if it starts to hurt".
Tonight I went 4 miles and added a few 1/2 segments to get 2.5 miles of "running" with 1.5 miles of walks.
Does anyone have a more "defined" program? I got my "golden ticket" to run Boston this spring and want to make sure I'm ready but also don't want to do something foolish that won't have me running at all. The knee feels really good although my IT band was a little sore this weekend. Just looking for a little reassurance from someone out there with similar experience.
an amazing likeness
Let the Docs and PT guide you. About 18 month ago, I had a bunch of work done andd scoping for meniscus repair was the last surgery. From there I used a mix of walk and strength to get to the point where I could bear weight, then slowly added more work. For months, walk was the primary activity to get time on feet.
But, no specific program other than daily time on my feet being the goal (30, then 45, then 60, then 90 minutes) -- so used whatever mix of walk and jog that worked, that day, to get to the time goal.
Acceptable at a dance, invaluable in a shipwreck.
I'm not an orthopedic surgeon but I've talked to a truckload of them over the last 2-1/2 years and I have had your procedure (partial meniscectomy) as part of an ACL reconstruction back in 2009. I think the reason there is not a "program" is because you really don't have anything in there that needs time to heal that you can damage. What you have now is as good as it will ever be. My longer term fear for you is damage to your articular cartilage due to missing meniscus, but I wouldn't let that stop you from running if it were me. Best of luck, Penky.
- Joe
We are fragile creatures on collision with our judgment day.
Hey Steve-
Sorry about the knee. I had a bucket-handle meniscus tear in the spring of 2010 that i had removed (the 'handle' i suppose) in May of 2010. long story short is I completed a marathon the following October and zero kneee issues during training or the race. frankly, since the surgery I havent had any pain in that knee. there were time, mostly in the month or two right after the surgery where I thought 'that feels different' but it wasnt pain and I'm more convinced it was mental than an actual physical symptom. The ortho never gave me much guidance as to limitations other than "you will know better than anybody else what your limits are." I did a few weeks of PT which I think was helpful to regain lateral steadiness.
If I can offer anything else, please let me know. Good luck though Im sure luck has nothing to do with it.
Rhode Island Road Runners
Thanks a lot for the feedback. I'm going to continue with ramping in the distance and just letting my knee tell me if I'm pushing too much. So far things have gone well; but I feel even better about my "freelance" rehab program hearing from you guys who have all done real well with similar surgeries.
Did you guys set any kind of limit on how much you increased your time / mileage week over week? The old reliable 10% maximum increase per week or just pay attention to how you felt? I'm currently running twice a day, in the morning I'm trying to add a minute per day (this morning was 20 minutes) of straight running. In the evenings I'm walking 1/4, running 1/4 to a 1/2 for between 3 and 4 miles. Next week I was going to up that to 3.5 to 4.5.
I tried to come back too fast twice and my knee started hurting and I had to stop completely for a week or two, but finally I learned and the third time around I took a much more gradual approach and it was all good. The pattern I kinda found that worked for me was adding a couple of miles a week every other week, with the weeks in between dropping back down to only 10 miles or so. It was trial and error, but it seemed to let my knee adjust to the running load again. Good luck, man. It will come back to you; just be patient.
Thanks Joe, sure appreciate it.
Thread killer ..
I know this is an old thread but....
I had mine done on Oct. 18 just cleaned out the tear and took out a loose piece . Prior to surgery the doctor told me I could be running again 4-6 weeks . After surgery he told me not to run at all . I am bone on bone on the medial side , the damage is too much to repair and he told me at some point in the not too distant future I'd need a partial replacement . Because he advised against running I wasn't given an idea on how much to run when to run etc...
I started running at 5 1/2 weeks just .35 to .65 miles very slowly I am now at 2 miles less slowly . I have walked as far as 6 miles . I was running @35-50 miles a week prior to the injury I had hoped to be back to my regular mileage by April . Anyone out there care to share their experience ? I'd be grateful for some direction . Also if anyone has tried to run in any of the unloader braces ? my lateral side is like new and I was told a brace that unloaded the medial side could help
Old , Ugly and slow
I had a Meniscus strain about 4 weeks ago.
I just treated it by rest and wrapping it.
I am going to start running on it this weekend
first race sept 1977 last race sept 2007
2019 goals 1000 miles , 190 pounds , deadlift 400 touch my toes
I know this is an old thread but.... I had mine done on Oct. 18 just cleaned out the tear and took out a loose piece . Prior to surgery the doctor told me I could be running again 4-6 weeks . After surgery he told me not to run at all . I am bone on bone on the medial side , the damage is too much to repair and he told me at some point in the not too distant future I'd need a partial replacement . Because he advised against running I wasn't given an idea on how much to run when to run etc... I started running at 5 1/2 weeks just .35 to .65 miles very slowly I am now at 2 miles less slowly . I have walked as far as 6 miles . I was running @35-50 miles a week prior to the injury I had hoped to be back to my regular mileage by April . Anyone out there care to share their experience ? I'd be grateful for some direction . Also if anyone has tried to run in any of the unloader braces ? my lateral side is like new and I was told a brace that unloaded the medial side could help
valerienw, are you saying that once the doc got in there with the scope he not only removed part of the medial meniscus but also discovered that you had articular cartilage damage as well? Did he do anything about what he saw in there? Do you have any information about the nature and size of the articular cartilage defects in the medial compartment? If at all possible, try to get as complete of information as possible about the state of your knee. This guy (and his surgical assistant) are the only two people on earth probably who have actually seen the inside of your knee. You need to milk him. Ask for the surgical notes. Ask for any pictures that were taken in surgery. Do you have an MRI taken before the surgery? Did it show articular cartilage damage? Lots of questions.... I admire your spirit that you are out there running in spite of the doc's advice. But now, I would advise that you need to become the expert on your own anatomy as much as possible and THEN seek out second and third opinions on what your options really are. I hate to say it, but lots of orthopedic surgeons are boneheads and their default answer to everything is "stop running". Screw that. It could be that is the right answer, but I darn sure wouldn't take one guy's opinion about it.
Sorry for the ramble, I get pretty worked up about this topic.
Joe here are the pictures . The MRI did not show the amount of damage that he saw once he was inside it . Prior to surgery , he was the second doctor , he didn't think the x-ray or the MRI showed that much damage . He told me if there was less damage he could "patch" it but it was too extensive . I did get him to admit it wasn't new and I had been running on it for possibly years . He did compare my knee to a bald tire and told me how long it lasts depends on how I "drive" it but at some point in the future as little as 6 months or as long as years I would need the partial replacement . I know once I go that route I will not be able to run . Right now I feel like I can possibly come back and run another year or two ...I do do ultras which I know adds a whole 'nother level to it
Hey Steve- Sorry about the knee. I had a bucket-handle meniscus tear in the spring of 2010 that i had removed (the 'handle' i suppose) in May of 2010. long story short is I completed a marathon the following October and zero kneee issues during training or the race. frankly, since the surgery I havent had any pain in that knee. there were time, mostly in the month or two right after the surgery where I thought 'that feels different' but it wasnt pain and I'm more convinced it was mental than an actual physical symptom. The ortho never gave me much guidance as to limitations other than "you will know better than anybody else what your limits are." I did a few weeks of PT which I think was helpful to regain lateral steadiness. If I can offer anything else, please let me know. Good luck though Im sure luck has nothing to do with it.
Hi KMB.
I was just wondering how your knee is 10 years on. Had the same surgery 8 years ago, and only started running recently due to the doctor not recommending it. X rays are 100% fine, and I am keeping it strong with MTB and gym work, and no pain at all running 30k a week. Thanks in advance!