Knee scope

I'd say exercise bike is your best bet. Take it slow and slowly build up speed and resistance. Walking and then running in a pool would probably be good as well.

I had one of my knees scoped (torn meniscus) and i was up running around in days. Had my other knee scoped (smooth down the inside of my knee cap and clean out junk) and it took my much longer to get going again. So, I think it just depends on how much they do inside your knee. But both it took a lot longer to mentally get over it where I was always worrying about making in sudden moves on or jukes/stops on the leg.

 

While you're recovering, you cannot use the leg muscle and it will weaken.

While sitting or on the floor, extend both legs in front of you. Lift one the distance off the floor as the length of your foot. Hold it for 10 seconds. Repeat with the other leg.

If you you do this continuously, your leg muscle will feel stronger in one week.

Hope you get better, man. I have problems on my knees now, and they are recurrent. I had my left knee scoped and had endomeniscectomy (repaired meniscus) and repaired MCL at around 2004 and the problems are coming back. The arthroscopic surgery worked, but I think I overworked the knees from too much playing, which I now realize I shouldn't have done. Now both knees are ailing.

I can't play any impact game (running, basketball, tennis, soccer) now without feeling burning and pain on my knees the next day.

 

http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=a00300

 

Swoly, if you only have one muscle in your leg, then that may be your problem.


Seriously though, that exercise pretty much only works your quads and hip flexors and in an already shortened position. You want to get your hamstrings, gastroc., and glutes into it and use full range of motion.

To put it briefly, i'd start by moving your leg joints in all the ways possible (see below), but without bearing any weight on the leg. Once you're able to bear weight, then you'd do the same on your feet, and only slow controlled movements. Eventually you'd work your way up to making quicker movements on your feet and then back to lifting.

Ex. Knee - extension, flexion, in and ext rotation
Hip- extension , flexion, adduction, abduction, int rotation, ext rotation
And so on with the ankle and toes...

 

LOL! Yes, of course. I meant muscles. Darn it.

I meant he can do those while he can't get up to walk, exercise, etc. After that, do the ones you suggest, sure. Good stuff.

 

for the love of god don't go bowling

 

That is not true. The first 2-3 days there will be swelling which will restrict movement a bit but you can certainly use your muscles.

In the first couple of days after you need to keep movement going on. Because of swelling you will need to assist with your hands.

In bed sit up with leg straight out. Muse a towel or shirt stretched around bottom of foot and pull it in to help as you lift knee up and bring it to bend. Start slow and you don't have to do full bend in beginning. Do this as much as you can bear. Up and down.

When the pain subsides force yourself to walk in as normal a gait as possible, even if it is really slow.

After the first 2 days you can start doing more exercise.

Bike is a good warmup. You might not be able to do full revolutions at first so go back and forth.

Step up onto something. Always up with the surgery leg lifting straight up and onto the step - no sideways cheating - and then down with good leg. Repeat.

Get a fitness ball and put it between your back and a wall and do squats. Slowly. Over time you can add hand weights (same for the steps).

Works with a resistance band anchored to something but otherwise spend a lot of time standing with knee slightly bent and relaxed then bring it back into a straight "locked" position. If using a resistance band the band goes around the back of the knee.

Then build up to very light weight extensions. Long high strides on a treadmill, increasing pace over time. Then when you are ready to push harder go to an elliptical with resistance and incline change to look like a hill. After 3-4 weeks you should be ale to really push yourself on this.

Just remember with what you say will be done in surgery rehab can't do any damage to your knee. It can only be painful or uncomfortable. Be smart but don't be afraid. The day after those early PT sessions can suck but they are vital.

 

Dang. Good luck with the recovery, leroy. Take it slow and easy. Don't push yourself too hard, too quickly.

 

Recovery time will depend in large part on whether or not they can repair (suture) the meniscus or, if the tear is in a region of the meniscus with poor blood flow, trim/remove either a portion or the entire meniscus. As it was explained to me, recovery from repairs takes much longer, while people are often back walking and running a few days after meniscus removal.

In my case a couple of years ago (medial meniscus tear), the surgeon was able to repair my meniscus, and only had to trim out about 3%. I was on crutches for about a week and a half. Knee felt very painful and weak for months after. Only after about a year did it start to feel normal again. Now, I am pretty active and it doesn't bother me at all.

 

I'm two knee surgie in so...

Lay stomach down on a table and let the leg with the healing knee hang over the edge. Make sure the table stops right above your knee. Do that for about 15-10 min a day.

Lay on your back and get a bungie cable or something similar. Use the bungie to hold your thigh up while keeping your knee bent.

Both of those use gravity and the weight of your leg to help with range of motion.

 

Did they mark your leg? I asked the nurse and she said "I know... IT HAPPENS! They can do the wrong thing in there...!"

The funniest thing and made me laugh for like ten minutes after I came back from the anesthesia was that the doctor said, "you know... the nurse marked the wrong knee... and... we gave you two robotic knees... so you'll be a lot better! Just kidding. We got the right one." :grin:

Here's to a fast recovery and that you can get out on the field again, I hope. Cheers.