Meniscal Tear Repair Knee Surgery and Healing Time

If you are into contact sports (such as Football or Hockey), then you have full chances of getting a torn Meniscal. Meniscal damage can also happen to anyone and at any age due to sudden twisting or weight shifting movements such as during squatting, lifting heavy weights etc.
Younger individuals (less than 30 years of age) are more resilient to such injuries and usually recover on their own with due care.  However, as you grow older the Meniscal wears and tears off with time and you can be easily injured while doing basic moves such as squatting or while stepping on a hard surface.
If you have been diagnosed with a Meniscal Tear and it hasn’t repaired on its own within few weeks, your Orthopaedic Doctor would recommend you to go for a Meniscal Tear Knee arthroscopy surgery. Meniscal damage can also occur as a result of degenerative conditions such as osteoarthritis.
The Basics About a Meniscal Tear
Menisci is a C-shaped cartilage that is present between the shinbone and the thighbone which brings about additional stability to the knee. It distributes the entire body weight and keeps away the bones from rubbing against each other. Thus, it acts as a shock absorber and tries to keep your knee bones protected from being damaged.
The most common symptoms of a Meniscal tear are: Pain, Stiffness and Swelling, Feeling of a Heavy Knee, Locking of the Knee and Loss of Range of Motion.
Treating Meniscal Tear
Primary method of repairing a Meniscal Tear involves non-surgical treatments to keep the pain and the inflammation under control. This is usually recommended if you are having a Grade 1 or Grade 2 type of a Meniscal tear.
After an MRI scan, your Orthopaedic Doctor may recommend a Meniscal tear arthroscopic surgery if you have a Meniscal tear Grade 3. If you are diagnosed with such a condition, then you would have to undergo either a Arthroscopic Partial Meniscectomy or an Arthroscopic Total Meniscectomy which are safe, minimally invasive and reliable surgical treatment options.
  • Arthroscopic Partial Meniscectomy – a piece of the torn Meniscus is removed arthroscopically.
  • Arthroscopic Total Meniscectomy – the entire Meniscus is removed arthroscopically.
Healing Time, Recovery and Rehabilitation
Meniscal Repair knee surgery is low risk and complications are rare. In general, the older and the heavier you are, longer would be your recovery period. It’s essential to realize that Prehab or physical therapy before the surgery is a very important process. The stronger your leg muscles are, the better are the chances of success of a knee surgery and the faster is the recovery period post-surgery. Your Orthopaedic Surgeon will prescribe you pain relieving medications and methods such as ice compression/compression sleeves to minimize inflammation after the surgery. You may have to wear knee braces for about a month to keep weights off your affected knee. Physical therapy should help in faster recovery and restoration of lost range of motion. For partial or total Meniscectomy, healing time shall range from 1-3 months post-surgery.
Meniscal tear is one of the most common type of knee injuries and with proper care, treatment and diagnosis by a well-qualified knee doctor, can help you return to your pre-injury abilities.



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