How Long Does A Meniscus Repair Take To Heal

For such a small-scale part of the body, the c-shaped piece of cartilage between the tibia and femur bones play a large function. This slice of cartilage, known as the meniscus, serves as both a stabilizer and shock cushion for the genu. And when yous injure your meniscus, you know. The question is, what happens when a meniscus injury requires surgery, and how long does it accept to recover?

READ: Meniscus Repair Rehabilitation Protocol by AlterG

Common Causes of Meniscus Injuries
Earlier we go into intendance, let's talk about cause. A sudden stop and plow, an awkward twist or landing—all of these can crusade a meniscal tear. Meniscus injuries crop up most often during contact sports, such as football, soccer, and hockey.

However, meniscus tears can too result from heavy lifting, pivots and turns (recollect: basketball game, volleyball, and the like), besides as osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, and other conditions that come up with historic period. Causes vary. Here's what recovery might look similar.

What to Expect Afterwards Meniscus Surgery
After a meniscus injury, physicians use MRI to determine the severity of injury and whether or not surgery is required. Typically, anything Grade 3 and above will crave surgery (though not always). It all depends on the extent to which the injury is probable to heal on its own. For those injuries that practice crave surgery, hither's what to look afterward:

Rest, healing, and recovery fourth dimension: Immediately after the injury, patients will be put into RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation) protocol alongside pain and inflammation medication as needed. Though the surgery to repair a meniscus tear lonely is not terribly long, the recovery time can last anywhere from three weeks to six months for a total return to activeness.
As with whatever injury, recovery fourth dimension for meniscus surgery will depend on the severity of the surgery (full removal or repair, for case), location of the injury, equally well as any other harm that was done to the articulatio genus. Rehabilitation time will also vary appropriately.
Crutches, a brace, and a irksome return to weight-begetting: Later on surgery, most patients will be on crutches, wear a brace, or some combination of both for at least a couple of weeks. This helps eliminate impact on the knee to allow the repaired tissue to brainstorm healing and reduce the risk of re-injury.
The concrete therapy program: After an initial recovery period, most patients will begin a concrete therapy plan to beginning a gradual and progressive return to regular activity. This includes a gradual render to weight-begetting activities. The integrity and regularity of this program will straight impact the patient's recovery fourth dimension, and may include the following focus areas:
- Stabilization
- Flexibility
- Strength
- Endurance

Shortening Recovery Times with Precision Unweighting
Once a patient is cleared to return to weight-bearing activities, their physical therapist will tailor the duration and intensity of their protocols depending on the severity of the meniscus injury.

Bated from traditional protocols, many concrete therapists are now calculation unweighting activities, such as pool therapy or tools similar the AlterG Anti-Gravity Treadmill™, to re-introduce walking and running motions while limiting injury risk. How? By adding weight-bearing in smaller, tolerable increments and controlling those increments precisely.

To learn more than, read the medial meniscus tear case study by AlterG.