How to care after meniscus repair surgery

For many people today, meniscus injury is a relatively common disease. When suffering from meniscus injury, symptoms of redness and swelling will appear in the patient's knee area, and the patient will feel obvious distance pain, which will have a serious impact on the patient's life and physical health. Many patients will choose surgical treatment when treating meniscus injury, and post-operative care is also very important.

Meniscus repair surgery

Symptomatic care

After the operation, the patient will experience pain, which will inhibit the functional exercise of muscle fibers, so the patient's pain needs to be controlled within half a month after the operation. Therefore, after the operation, cotton pads are needed for pressure bandage and ice packs are used for cold compresses on the operated area. Patients can place ice packs on both sides of the knee joint and apply cold compresses three times a day, each time for half an hour. Because cold compress can cause the patient's local microvessels to contract and reduce the sensitivity of pain nerve endings.

Strength training

Secondly, after surgery, you must pay attention to the goal of restoring slow-twitch muscle fibers, so you need to exercise the quadriceps and hamstrings. After the surgical anesthesia wears off, the patient should start to perform dorsiflexion and rotation exercises on the ankle joint, which can reduce local edema. In addition, according to the patient's own tolerance, it is necessary to use isometric contraction of the quadriceps in situ in the early stage, and then slowly transition to raising the legs for exercise, and then perform progressive resistance training.

How to care after meniscus repair surgery

Phase 1

In the first week after surgery, do light exercise to prevent swelling. This phase of rehabilitation should begin in the recovery room following meniscectomy. After surgery, bandage should be applied from the toes to the thigh for at least 2 days. Encourage the patient to begin exercises in the recovery room including straight leg raises and joint mobilization.

Phase 2

This is the second week after surgery, and the focus of rehabilitation is range of motion. The sutures have been removed, and if swelling persists, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory analgesics can be used; isometric exercises (straight leg raises) and gradual range of motion should be performed routinely. Patients should resume most activities by week 2. If range of motion and muscle tone are restored, limited activities including walking may be resumed.

Phase 3

During the 3rd to 4th week after surgery, more intense exercise is encouraged to restore muscle strength and range of motion to normal. Gradually increase the resistance at the ankle and allow the patient to gradually return to normal activities. Physical activity should only be resumed when movement and muscle tone have returned to an appropriate range.

Stage 4

In the second month after surgery, further rehabilitation was performed and normal physical exercise was resumed. Encourage patients to gradually increase the resistance of their exercises. If there is no infection in the patellofemoral joint, you can start isometric exercises. Afterwards, to maintain muscle strength, the patient can bike, swim, or walk. In conclusion, patients still require 1-6 months of follow-up.