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Recovering from Knee Surgery (Read 37 times)


Runs With Kid

    Anyone out there have surgery to repair both an ACL tear (complete tear) and a meniscus tear (required stitching a 4-weeks of non-weight bearing), who are back to running at a normal rate?  I messed up my knee skiing in February and had surgery in March.  I'm going to PT once a week and doing everything they say, but nearly 5 months post surgery I still can't run or do any high impact activity without a lot of pain.  Please, someone give me some good news that this will get better... not seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

    spinach


      A year ago tomorrow I tore my meniscus although not the ACL. I had a surgery on it at the end of August and in some ways it went real well although in other ways it still is a problem.and will probably never get over.  the day after the surgery i went to the PT and the guy there was quite amazed at the mobility I had in the leg. He acted as if he thought I would be able to just barely bend the leg and he was amazed that i could bend it all the way . I think he wasn't used to seeing a patient who was actually in shape .

       

      The mobility is no problem for me but I still get occasional pain shooting from my knee as I run. I also have difficulty running down hill, my knee doesn't feel very stable there.

       

      My knee was in better shape than your knee since I didn't tear the ACL and i have been able to run since then, I have a silly streak on races in consecutive months that i have been able to keep going. I already had August done and i was able to run a 5k three and a half weeks after the surgery. That day felt okay although I have had some pain in the knee in other runs in the past year. I have run 1000 miles in the past year, most of them in the last six months. I am doing okay although as i mentioned i have had occasional pain in the knee.  I don't think it will ever get back to normal but I am 60 years old now so my age is working against me and is slowing down any recovery.  I have also lost some speed after the surgery.

       

      I have gotten some information from other runners who have had similar surgeries and a similar age and they said it took about two years for them to get the knee back to feeling better.  I will see.

       

      I hope you will get better eventually.  Keep working with your PT person.  I am sending my best wishes.


      delicate flower

        Anyone out there have surgery to repair both an ACL tear (complete tear) and a meniscus tear (required stitching a 4-weeks of non-weight bearing), who are back to running at a normal rate?  I messed up my knee skiing in February and had surgery in March.

         

        I could have typed out this exact same thing.  I completely blew out my left knee twice.  The first was Feb 2009 before I was a runner (ACL, slight tears to MCL and LCL that did not require surgery, meniscus tear fixed by trimming).  This was a hockey injury.  ACL replaced with hamstring tendon.  Recovery from that took a long time, though I wasn't a runner so I can't speak to that.  It didn't help that I was at my heaviest too.  I took up running in 2011 and dropped 50 pounds.

         

        My second ACL tear was from skiing in Jan 2013.  Surgery was Feb 5.  Same injuries as the first, but a double meniscus tear and the added element of micro fractures to the tibia.  ACL replaced with a thick allograft patella.  Doc was able to salvage my meniscus and stitch most of it with only minor trimming.  I still have 65% of the meniscus left, which I guess is pretty good after two surgeries.  Anyway, recovery from the second surgery went much better.  It helps that I was in much better shape.  I did PT once a week and stayed right on top of my homework.  Lots and lots of stretching and doing all my strength training.  I also did the PT office's advanced "jump" program for athletes when I graduated from basic PT.  That included a lot of (you guessed it) jumping.

         

        Five months post-surgery, I was well into running again.  I actually raced a 10K at an honest race effort 4.5 months post-surgery.  7 months post-surgery I ran a 9 minute HM PR (1:36 at the time).  Honestly my knee ached after pretty much every run for a good 18 months and I would ice it every day.  I felt fine when running though.  It still aches from time to time and is very moody about the weather, but that is something I just have to live with.  

         

        No running yet with a lot of pain nearly five months after surgery definitely is not what I experienced.  I do think it is different for everyone, so I would not get too worried about it.  Just keep doing your homework and do what your PT says.  The bike and elliptical are your friends.  I've done five marathons and an Ironman since my second surgery.  You'll get back to full speed but it'll take some time.  My workout log is open if you want to take a look at my post-surgery buildup (my last run before the injury was 1/4/2013).

         

        Good luck, Jamie.  Sorry about the injury.  It sucks and it's a difficult rehab to go through.

        <3

          In 2007 I tore both the ACL and meniscus in my right knee.  I had surgery in March (cadaver on the ACL) and went to PT two to three times a week from March through July (a little less towards the end).  I raced pain free though not necessarily with high quality in late August running the 10K portion in a relay at the Chicago triathlon.

           

          FWIW, I was 31 at the time of surgery and in pretty good shape before the injury.  So hopefully I can give you good news that it certainly can get better though for me, I was pain free (though low confidence) at five months.  10 years later, I'm running with no pain except for really cold days when it hurts afterwards until I warm back up.

           

          Anyone out there have surgery to repair both an ACL tear (complete tear) and a meniscus tear (required stitching a 4-weeks of non-weight bearing), who are back to running at a normal rate?  I messed up my knee skiing in February and had surgery in March.  I'm going to PT once a week and doing everything they say, but nearly 5 months post surgery I still can't run or do any high impact activity without a lot of pain.  Please, someone give me some good news that this will get better... not seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.


          an amazing likeness

            My recovery experience (MCL and meniscus) was similar to Baboon's in the 5-6 months recovery and being laser-focused on the PT. Had the same aching for 18+ months, which has faded on all but the coldest days. Years later, I have general instability noted by Spinach and can not run fast downhill -- upper leg "overruns" the lower leg on heavy foot plant -- but I'm a fat, old dude. Every now and then I need to revert back to wearing a soft knee brace for a few runs to give something in there (unknown) a break.

            Acceptable at a dance, invaluable in a shipwreck.

            spinach


               Every now and then I need to revert back to wearing a soft knee brace for a few runs to give something in there (unknown) a break.

               

              I am trying to get past using the soft knee brace.  i wear it most of my runs, but I am trying to get past it by not wearing it once or twice a week. I do wear it for all my races and for any runs that have some "major"  hills. I live in Minnesota and so we don't have any real major hills so the ones I wear it are fairly little hills.