You are probably wondering when to see a doctor if you may have a torn meniscus injury? If you are experiencing joint locking, extreme swelling of the knee, severe pain when moving the joint and you are unable to put any weight on the knee. Then you should consult the doctor immediately. Sometimes even major tears that are found during MRI may not require surgery. The initial treatment for torn meniscus should be aimed at reducing swelling thus your knee should be treated first with physiotherapy and observe if the symptoms of swelling, pain and joint locking can be relieved over time.
One of the best indicators of the necessity for torn meniscus surgery is to see if the swelling and or pain persists 2 weeks after rehab. If the swelling and or pain return after rehab, then most likely, surgery is required. Please note surgery itself can not guarantee for future traumatic tears and the result of the recovery.
Hence please consult your doctor if swelling persist after rehab and take time to discuss your situation thoroughly. Please remember that a diagnosis of a torn meniscus is not an indication for surgery.
A key indication will be determined by where the tear is located, the pattern of the tear as well as whether the swelling and pain can be relieved after rehab. Meniscus tears are common in contact sports such as football, basketball and volleyball. Doctors will usually remind patients who have torn meniscus that some exercises can put too much pressure on your knees.
Any activities that can cause pain or mechanical symptoms for your knees such as catching, clicking, or locking should be stopped immediately. Patients should avoid putting weight on their knees as much as possible. Other than contact sports, the following exercises are more likely to cause re-injury, which should also be avoided for patients with meniscus tear:.
In order to minimize symptoms during exercise, please do not perform any high-impact sports as discussed above or other activities that include repetitive jumping, squatting and twisting. Learn how to prevent torn meniscus is also the key to reduce your risks of getting accidental meniscus injury. Strengthening the muscles around the joint protects your knees from further injury by reducing pressure on the knee as well as helps rehabilitation for a torn meniscus.
For most types of meniscus tears, some simple exercises can help to maintain your muscle strength in the quadriceps and hamstrings, hip and calf. Please always consult your doctor before doing any rehab exercises, even if you feel no pain when you are exercising. How long does a torn meniscus take to heal? According to Cleveland Clinic , after torn meniscus surgery, the initial recovery time can be up to 2 weeks for patients to receive various physical therapy.
Generally speaking, you should limit movement for up to 2 weeks after surgery to fix your meniscus. Sometimes it will take weeks or months before you can go back to your daily activities after surgery. After uncomplicated meniscectomy or meniscus surgery, some typical times for returning to activities can also be summarized into 3 main phases:. Meniscus tear exercises for rehab can also help patients to regain control of muscles around knees and return to normal activities.
After certain types of meniscus surgery. Patients may only be able to stay on bed initially. Knee bends is a simple exercise that can help to maintain blood circulation after lying down on the bed for a long time. The patient can move one knee up toward their chest and back down, repeat the same process for ten times, and repeat the same process for other leg.
When patients are sitting on bed or chair, the second recommended exercise is heel and toe raises. Patients can remain seated with both feet on the floor in front of them and raise both heels and keep it for 3 seconds. Repeat this process for 10 times then repeats the lifts by raising the toes of both feet. The third recommended exercise is heel lifts. The patient can stand up to increase blood circulation around knee joints after sitting for a long time.
The instruction for heel lifts is to hold onto a chair to balance your body. Riding a stationary bike may be an important component of your knee meniscus tear exercise program. Bike riding can have many benefits, including: It can improve your knee range of motion.
In a typical moderate tear, you feel pain at the side or in the center of the knee, depending on where the tear is. Often, you are still able to walk. Swelling usually increases gradually over 2 to 3 days and may make the knee feel stiff and limit bending.
There is often sharp pain when twisting or squatting. The pain may be sharp or instead it can just be a constant dull ache sensation.
It usually hurts more when bending the knee deeply or straightening it fully. It can also hurt when twisting on the knee with your foot fixed on the ground. These locations and natures of pain may indicate meniscus damage. Common extra-articular pathologies that can mimic lateral meniscal tears include iliotibial band syndrome, proximal tibiofibular joint instability, snapping biceps femoris or popliteus tendons, and peroneal nerve compression syndrome or neuritis.
Symptoms of a meniscus tear pain, especially when the area is touched. An untreated meniscus tear can result in the frayed edge getting caught in the joints, causing pain and swelling. It can also result in long-term knee problems such as arthritis. But X-rays can help rule out other problems with the knee that cause similar symptoms. This uses radio waves and a strong magnetic field to produce detailed images of both hard and soft tissues within your knee.
To help find a comfortable sleep position, try using a pillow to support the painful parts. You can put the pillow: between your knees, if you sleep on your side. Swelling or stiffness.
However, each case is unique and there is no one rehabilitation program that is right for all patients. Some patients return to their pre-injury level of activity within weeks while other patients take months, notes the Orthopedic Center of St. The time frame that must pass before you can walk again without re-tearing the meniscus depends on how long your body takes to heal, your level of physical conditioning, and how hard you work at recovering.
In order to resume walking, your therapist may suggest performing certain exercises to correct muscular imbalances or walking patterns, such as rolling in or out on your foot. You may also benefit from orthotics that help correct your foot placement so that less stress is placed on the knee. You will need to learn to walk without twisting your knees, as rotational movements are the most common cause of meniscus tears, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. As you resume your walking program you will need to monitor your knee for signs of re-injury such as pain, stiffness, swelling, catching or locking sensations or knee instability.
If symptoms occur, you may need to change the intensity of frequency of your walking program, or combine it with walking in the water or non weight bearing activities, such as biking, to take pressure off the knee.
Penn Musculoskeletal and Rheumatology Blog. The agility of a professional basketball player is incredible to watch. They swerve, sprint, jump, and dunk as if they have no bones.
However, those seemingly effortless twists and turns can come with a price if one wrong move is made. Specifically, these types of movements can lead to a torn meniscus. While some athletes — including those who play contact sports — are especially at risk for meniscus tears, this injury is one of the most common knee injuries.
And anyone can suffer from them, regardless of age or activity. You may still be able to stand and walk after the initial injury with only a bit of pain depending on the severity of the tear. That can make you think a meniscus tear is a minor injury. Treatment can wait and you can play through the pain, right?
0コメント