So my left knee has given me grief for about 2 years now, this year I said to my other half I'm getting it checked out instead of just dismissing it. So after some MRI scans it turns out I have a torn cartilage and need keyhole surgery to repair it.
I'm going through the Bupa scheme and they have said its a 1 day op in on the morning and home by teatime, question I have is if anyone has had the same op then roughly how long was it before you were back on your feet getting active again?
I had it done many years ago. You can hobble around with crutches fairly soon, but it’ll be at least a week before you can walk normally, and gets better still over the week that follows. It’s not too bad, the pain is perfectly manageable, but the first couple of days are important in the recovery so plan to rest and ice it as much as possible.
Ah thanks mate for the info, I'll definitely be rest and ice the first few days, can you remember how long it was before you started any exercise after the Op?Originally Posted by RobM
I’ve had torn meniscus cartilage problems in both knees and both have responded very well to keyhole surgery, I can run again with no pain or discomfort.
The first one went better than the second, a straightforward operation which took around 30 mins, walked out of the hospital after a couple of hours without crutches. It was swollen and uncomfortable for a couple of days but within a week I was walking for 30 mins (slowly). After 4-5 weeks I was jogging with some pain but within a few more weeks I was running without any discomfort.
Second one, a couple of years later, felt OK at first but took approx 6 -7 months to fully recover. I was unable to jog for around 4 months and was convinced it hadn’t been successful, walking downhill on rough ground was painful too. Fortunately it did make a full recovery but took a lot longer. However, the damage to that knee was more extensive, the cartilage on the ends of the bones had to be shaved too and some ligament damage was found, it took longer to recover because more work was done and the joint isn’t in as good condition, but nonetheless it did recover eventually.
The procedure in both cases was v. straightforward, general anaesthetics don’t bother me but some folks aren’t so lucky and feel rough afterwards, the outcome of the surgery will vary depending on how bad the damage is. I would definitely recommend getting it fixed ASAP, I’m still running at 64 and apart from the odd twinge I don’t have any discomfort in either knee. They ache if I stand in one position for too long but that’s about it, I wouldn’t fancy trying to play football either but I’m a bit old for that!
I've had both mine done (six years apart)
As said, you are likely to be treated as a day case - IIRC my second op was done at 3pm and I still went home that evening and was back at my desk the following morning. I can't remember how long it was until I was walking normally but I didn't need any painkillers after I left hospital. I think I had to forgo driving for two or three weeks - they will guide you on that. The main concern is if you have to do an emergency stop. Compared to how long it took from these ops when they were done with open surgery, it's an amazing operation. Hope it goes well.
I had a keyhole op last August to clean up torn meniscus and remove a snapped ACL on my right knee . Got some great advice here https://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.p...surgery-advice
Went in the morning and was out at 6pm same day. I did have some trouble walking but not enough to warrant crutches. Recovery time in terms of walking is pretty quick. I was walking about ok after 2. You're encouraged to move about as soon as possible to prevent muscle wastage. I needed a fair amount of rehab and physio and was only confident to run on it after a month. You may be a lot sooner.
Good luck and speedy recovery
Casper
I put my thoughts on that linked thread above.
Remember, "Torn Meniscus" is a normal feature of an aging knee. If I MRI scan people with *no symptoms,* I will find 50%+ have an incidental finding of a meniscal tear in the over 50 age group. You operate on the symptoms not the scan.
William, knee surgeon
I had my right knee done back in 2008, direct result of an old football injury, the t**ts at the hospital however were treating me for a radial ligament tear, the exercises we making the issues 10 times worse. Eventually thanks to my GP i had the meniscus done however but eh time it was done the tear was wearing out the end of the bone so had to have that shaped or something. Due to the fact id lost 30% strength in my leg over the 6 months previous it took me ages to recover and wasnt back at work for about 12 weeks after the surgery.
My knee has been painful for a long time now, tbh the last few months have been the worst, I'm just glad the scan showed something and hopefully I can get sorted and back on at it asap.
I hwd keyhole surgert on split catilage about 15 years ago. Most of the time now it's fine but get occasional pain which lasts a few days then fine again.
I had one knee done around 7 years ago. Suspect I damaged my knee(s) skiing at a younger age and then one finally ‘went’ when jogging to catch the bus after watching the football.
Day patient via the NHS at a local(ish) private hospital. Spent, if I recall, a decent part of the day there, but home by mid to late afternoon. No driving home, obviously.
Had the op on the Thursday, went back to work on the Monday, albeit being very careful….which wasn’t really what the surgeon advised, but I felt okay to do so. Did not need painkillers. Showering was fun with cling film wrapped around the dressing.
Went back for the check up and the surgeon offered up pics of both sides of the knee. Amazing how much a few whispy bits of white cartilage can cause SO much pain.
When I took the dressing off, even then, it was almost impossible to see where the incisions had been made.
Had mine done in 2011, crutches for a few days but nothing major
Got a DVD of it bizarrely!
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I dislocated my knee in 1997 and the kneecap moved around the side and split my cartilage.
Keyhole sorted it but took a lot of physio to build the strength up and I wore a compression sleeve for a while after.
I can’t run or put any impact on the knee now without some aching but it’s manageable.
Hopefully yours will be a simple one.
So far I have had 2 ops, both knees domne and one was a revision. 1st one was done at Rake Lane Hospital and I was in a lot of grief and had crutches for a week.... next 2 were done by Prof David Deehan and absolutely no problem minimal pain had 3 days off work, no crutches, went back on the 4th day. The man has an absolute gift.
I hope you get a surgeon like Mr. Deehan.
Thanks all, hopefully it's going to be the minimum disruption when it gets worked on. Bupa give you an option of picking the consultant as they supply three names, I went with the one who's complete profile was basically knee and hip work, the other two who I assume are excellent in their roles seemed to specialise in a bit more varied scopes.
Just hoping its all straightforward as I don't want be missing out on motorbike season lol...
I had keyhole surgery for a torn meniscus many years ago. Worked perfectly. My surgeon told me that I’d be back on my bike after a week. I waited 8 days but experienced some extra pain & swelling. When I had my review & told my surgeon about it he said that 8 days was a bit too soon. It was easy all round though
It was mixed for me and it really depends what exercise you do. Riding a bike should be OK within a few weeks, but running or anything with impact will take longer.
The thing that pushed me over the edge and into surgery was Taekwondo and I never returned to it after the op. Part of that is mental; I didn’t have confidence in my knee and that’s a quick route into getting kicked in the head. But I found too much impact, including running, left me uncomfortable for a long time.
Had my left knee done twice…can walk miles with no problem but a short jog and it’s sore. No more jogging lol. My advice is to protect it as much as possible after the operation..going down hills or gradients is a definite way of tearing at again.
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Well I used to run but last time I tried to run on the treadmill I had to stop after about a minute due to the pain, my running days are over I feel so the treadmill was sold. I have a Wattbike and Concept 2 rower in place of the treadmill at home now. Low impact cardio instead of pounding the treadmill on a dodgy knee, just need to make sure I don't damage anything in recovery and building up confidence in the knee following the op.
Had three arthroscopies to date. Started with a torn meniscus after playing football. After a few years the segment separated and started wandering about in the knee. Surgeon didn’t do a great job so I had it done again by Prof Deehan in Newcastle who did a superb job. Then the other knee joined in on the act and he did that one too. It bought me time but now six years on and aged 63 it seems the cartilage has almost worn to the bone and developing varus displacement, and limitation on flexion, stairs and gradients are a bitch. So seems I need knee joint replacement nowsoon I hope
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