driving after meniscus root repair

My repair will be later this week on my right leg. Content on HealthTap (including answers) should not be used for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and interactions on HealthTap do not create a doctor-patient relationship. They can occur in younger patients as a result of high energy trauma, but are more common in patients between 45 and 60 as a result of degeneration of the meniscus with age. Meniscus (cartilage) Repair patients cannot do twisting, pivoting, squatting, deep knee bends or impact activities for four months. I plan to squat 135 pounds for three sets of five on this day and am scheduled to deadlift 200 pounds on August 23. The arthroscopic meniscus repair is a procedure done to repair torn knee cartilage, usually for athletes. If your job mostly involves sitting at a desk, you may be able to get back to work in a week or two. I would highly recommend him. I have been very pleased with him at each visit..It's been almost 2 years since my meniscus root tear surgery and I have to say my knee feels great. And if we know anything about cartilage, if you want to look this up, it takes about six up to 12 months to fully heal depending on the severity of that injury on the meniscus on that cartilage. A written consent will be obtained from you after the surgical procedure has been explained in detail. I am a coach, and I have two boys playing sports, the best thing I can say is that my sons will go see Dr. Burnham in the event they are injured, and I will always recommend him to my athletes. You can't walk right after surgery. Meniscus Root Repair The most common method to fix meniscus root tears is through a tibial bone tunnel. We found that the technique was very successful at restoring function to patients and significantly reducing their pain. A lateral meniscus root tear involves a tear of the meniscus either at or close to the root attachment in the back part of the lateral meniscus. As surgical techniques are being developed and refined, rehabilitation protocols for meniscal root repairs must be defined and tested. We had a wonderful experience and I highly recommend him. Other common symptoms include limping, a change in the patients gait and the inability to put weight on the affected knee. A meniscus root tear requires the meniscus to be repaired back to the lower leg bone; this is also performed arthroscopically. After repairing the meniscus root, it is imperative that the patient remain 100% non-weight bearing for 6 weeks. Dr. Nwachukwu and his team will have an individualized recovery program for the best healing success after your meniscal root repair. Healing kind of goes fast the beginning and then it tapers off. Other complications can include a blood clot, which is usually treated preemptively with some type of blood thinner, and irritation around the surgical button and/or surgical knot from the meniscus root tear. The meniscus root attachment is important because if the meniscus becomes detached, it can squirt out of the joint, called extrusion, which can lead to the meniscus not being functional. The root attachments of the posterior horns of the medial and lateral meniscus are very important for joint health. He answered all my questions satisfactorily and his entire staff were polite and professional. The technique of a meniscus root repair involves isolating the root, placing a minimum of 2 sutures in the remaining meniscal attachment, and trying to reposition it back to a more anatomic position. For potential or actual medical emergencies, immediately call 911 or your local emergency service. The meniscus is a piece of cartilage in the knee, often injured in sports. It took almost a week and a half for the swelling to go down, but there was still considerable swelling in my knee. The next day, my left knee blew up to the size of a grapefruit. But youve got to figure out a way to get your butt muscles stronger if youre looking for a more comprehensive plan for making your knee better and getting your glutes stronger we also have a program called the 28 day knee health and wellness boost program you can also find that in the link and as a link in the description below. A meniscal repair is a keyhole surgery technique for repairing a ripped meniscus.. The High Tech Shirt Problem in the Squat Rusty Holcomb, Observations on Training by an Old Guy Phil Ringman. The study included 351 patients with knee OA and meniscus tear. Your doctor may give you a nerve block before surgery and will prescribe pain-relieving medications after surgery. Multiple large loose bodies were removed from my knee joint, the largest of which measured approximately 20mm. Easy to talk to and will answer any questions of your care. If it is the right knee, the average time until the patient is able to drive is 6-9 weeks. Meniscal Root Repair Post-operative Rehabilitation Protocol Phase 1: 0-2 weeks post-operatively Goals . Therefore, most meniscus root tears need to have the scar tissue released so the meniscus can be pulled back into the joint. There is often swelling of the knee and severe pain with walking, running, twisting, or moving the knee. In cases the patients undergo meniscus repair or ligament reconstruction, they are given a brace to support the knee in full extension. Educational text answers on HealthTap are not intended for individual diagnosis, treatment or prescription. In particular, these younger patients have to look at a meniscus root repair as soon as possible to ensure that they dont develop arthritis. Many patients who do have a meniscus root tear note that they feel a pop in the back of the knee when they are doing squatting activities, such as cleaning floors, gardening, placing down carpet or plumbing. They are also important to the stability and function of the knee, keeping the meniscus in place. Thus, these patients can often have early onset arthritis, the development of bony edema, insufficiency fractures, and the failure of concurrent cruciate ligament reconstruction grafts. The blood supply to the meniscus in an adolescent or adult is very poor. Sutures are passed through the meniscus, and then pulled down into a bone tunnel located at the same site as the root attachment before it tore. They may start the use of a stationary bike, and may slowly wean off crutches starting at 6 weeks post-operatively. Next, we performed biomechanical studies to show the effects of varying sizes of radial meniscus root tears, validating that a meniscus root tear within a centimeter of its attachment site functions as a meniscus root tear and can be treated the same. Therefore, we then looked at surgical techniques and due to the fact that we had multiple second look arthroscopies after bone grafting for ACL reconstructions with meniscus root tears, that the 1-tunnel technique had more of a spot welding healing of the meniscus to bone whereas the 2-tunnel meniscus root repair technique had a much better healing surface of the meniscus to bone. In addition, if the medial meniscus is involved, active The general published success rate for a meniscus root repair is between 80% and 85%. It has been found that one suture alone for the repair does not work well, so a minimum of 2 sutures is required to maximize meniscal healing. Really cares for his patients! An ACL tear most commonly occurs from a turning, twisting, or deceleration mechanism in a noncontact mode. So if thats your feeling youve taken them and it hasnt really made a difference for you dont take them if you feel like to help you out please take them but dont just take the supplements in hopes of that replacing doing the right exercises and having the right expectations youve got to do them both together give us a like if you thought this video was helpful and please drop a comment if you have any questions and i hope that you get better real soon have a wonderful day guys. Meniscal root repair whether isolated or in combination with valgus HTO or ACL reconstruction, when indicated, was able to improve the clinical, functional and subjective results of the patients presented in this case series. We use the 2-tunnel technique to maximize biologic healing of the meniscus down to a broad surface. Ive dealt with other knee doctors in prior injuries, but Dr. Burham and his team clearly stood out. Rehabilitation begins within a week of surgery. While regular functionality isn't immediate, patients will be asked to move the knee within 1-2 days after surgery. So if youre sitting at home right now, and you just had your meniscus surgery a month or two ago, and youre thinking, gosh, why arent I much better already. In some severe cases, they cant fully extend their knee out or bend their knee all the way. During the procedure, Dr. Vidal will isolate the root, pull it against the tibia and place sutures in the meniscal attachment. Thanks to Dr. Burnham and his staff. 1 doctor answer 2 doctors weighed in Dr. Jeffrey Sider answered Sports Medicine 41 years experience Depends: If surgery is on the left leg i let some patients drive the next day if they feel ok. My daughter journey was very trying and hard but we made it through with all of their help. I would like to thank Dr. Jeremy Burnham for his wonderful work and surgery on my left shoulder. Had a meniscus root repair yesterday and the surgery was successful. Just its a big deal to take your time and let that cartilage heal at the rate that it heals you generally can go faster than what it heals, And the question that i get often is do i take any supplements glucosamine chondroitin those types of supplements and you know the answer to that is its not going to hurt we the research is kind of mixed on it sometimes it helps sometimes it doesnt help what we know is that it generally doesnt hurt it doesnt make it worse so youre not going to youre not going to make things worse if you decide to take those supplements are generally safe to take but some people report no difference. After sutures are placed arthroscopically into the meniscal attachment, a small diameter tunnel, usually 5 millimeters in size, is reamed to the meniscal root attachment site, the sutures are pulled down the tunnel, and tied over a button on the anterior cortex of the tibia. The meniscal roots are critical in maintaining the normal shock absorbing function of the meniscus. Therefore, we found that non-anatomic meniscus root tear repairs were not successful. Being stronger is always better than being weak. W;5$u4Yxa_V_bm}q8=^_qbY,H(+",X'{|oMs"&A;3.E s&L=Z`)!]$],b }zb& [email protected]:4@"Fz"U2`/h0|6^T&}56+Q:Dn{d:rqW@3 7 U. After about two hours, I got up, crutched into the kitchen, brewed a pot of coffee and made myself some pancakes. I have successfully repaired meniscus root tears in patients that were 70 and 71 years old respectively and they are some of my happiest patients. Amazing Doctor and wonderful staff!! Get prescriptions or refills through a video chat, if the doctor feels the prescriptions are medically appropriate. And I feel my rode to recovery will be wonderful. It can also occur while bending the knee deeply. I rate him 5stars. When a tear of the meniscal root, or even a tear near the root, occurs, the meniscus can no longer convert axial loading forces into hoop stresses. If one does have quite a bit of arthritis of the same compartment, which we would call Kellgren-Lawrence grades 3 or 4, in most circumstances, other than possibly in very young patients, a root repair would generally not be indicated. The transtibial meniscal root repair is emerging as the gold standard treatment due to its ability to restore a large footprint at the meniscal root's native attachment site and restore normal joint contact pressures. The mini First-Pass device allows placement of either a suture or an UltraTape through the substance of the meniscus, capturing the end of the stitch as it is placed through the meniscus and then it can be pulled out of the joint. Steadman Clinic, 181 W Meadow Drive, Suite 400, Vail, CO 81657, USA (email: drlaprade . Little information has been published regarding specific rehabilitation parameters for meniscal root repairs through all phases of rehabilitation. So lets get to it. short distances based on their motion and Most patients will also have some numbness around the surgical incision, but this is not a true complication and is anticipated with any type of surgical incision. Lateral meniscus root tears can lead to arthritis, but they also result in the ACL being a little looser and the clunk that comes with an ACL tear (pivot shift) being more unstable. Single leg deadlifts on the good leg, reverse hypers, and dumbbell bench. What most people just don't get from their medical professionals is that the meniscus is a type of cartilage. They explain things very well. In general, almost all meniscus root tears require a 6-week period of being nonweightbearing to maximize the healing potential. If one has fairly normal cartilage of that side, the success rate is going to be better than those patients that have mild to moderate chondromalacia (arthritis) of the same compartment as the root repair. Regular assessment of gait to avoid compensatory patterns. While you're recovering from your meniscus surgery, you can expect to feel pain while you heal. (C, D) Arthrex MU (multiuse) guide with 6-mm FlipCutter drill positioned on footprint of posterior root of lateral meniscus. Dr. Burnham and Jerrica did a great job taking care of all my orthopedic needs. So that means youre good to go after two to three months. Prior to Starting Strength, I would have simply gone to physical therapy, done my exercises like the therapist told me to do, and that would have been it. Many patients do not have significant joint line pain like a typical meniscus tear, so having a patient stand up and squat down is often performed during the clinical exam to validate that the patient may have a meniscus root tear. For more information on meniscus root tears of the knee and meniscus root repair surgery, please contact the office of Benedict Nwachukwu, MD, orthopedic knee specialist serving Manhattan, New York City and the surrounding New York boroughs. Therefore, we strongly advocate using a button to fix the meniscus sutures or tape on the tibia to minimize the chance of loosening over time. Contact Dr. Nwachukwus team today! It is felt that most meniscus root tear repairs are sufficiently healed to start these activities between 5 and 7 months postoperatively. Full recovery usually takes 6 months but can take up to 1 year. Few tears will become. Further study into meniscus root tears and radial root tears is ongoing by our research laboratory to try to improve the treatment of these complex problems. Medial Patellofemoral Ligament (MPFL) Reconstruction . I asked when I could start driving, and he said when I was off my pain medication. I put a knee brace on and made it through class, but by the time I drove home I could barely bend my knee. The following Tuesday, I saw my doctor. Most of these types of injuries, that are symptomatic, require surgery. Monday: 8:00 am 5:00 pm Meniscus repair rehab protocol. Oftentimes, after having a meniscus surgery, people are told that theyll be fine. The results of meniscus root repairs in the literature are encouraging, but more improvement is necessary in the future. And this channel is dedicated to helping people stay healthy, active and mobile. I switched out the single leg deadlifts for trap bar deadlifts on mats, and added low step ups on the left leg. After you have surgery to repair a meniscus tear, you may need to build up your strength in the muscles of your leg that support your knee. If not treated, part of the meniscus may come loose and slip into the joint. I finally decided to make an appointment with a knee specialist. This technique allows for the meniscus to be pulled down into a broad surface area, maximizing its chance for biologic healing. In general, patients have to develop good quadriceps strength to allow for maximum absorption with activities prior to returning back to any significant hiking, jogging or running activities. I kept training, modifying my squatting as needed until I could get back to proper depth. I did a few jungle gym rows, and finished with planks. When I returned home around 1pm that day, I sat in my living room for a bit, emailing and texting people to let them know I was alive and well. Dr. Burnham was very thorough and took the time to explain what he thought my root problem may be, why, and how he suggested we proceed with my care. In fact 2 years ago I finished climbing the top 100 peaks in CO. Please note, we cannot prescribe controlled substances, diet pills, antipsychotics, or other abusable medications. In younger patients, meniscus root tears often occur with a piece of bone being avulsed off the tibia. The menisci in the knee are two c-shaped pieces of fibrocartilage that act as shock absorbers. Factors Affecting Meniscus Tear Healing and Prognosis AOSSM Lecture, What Does an Orthopedist Do? I could no longer deadlift from the floor, and was having trouble squatting below parallel. If the patient is not comfortable walking without an aid, then they are usually provided with axillary crutches. We are so grateful and thankful. I have now biked five to six days each week since my surgery. In the early stages of your meniscus tear you can take these conservative and essential treatments which are as follows: Rest Ice every 15 minutes in every 4-6 hours Compression with an ACE wrap or sleeve Elevation of the leg Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs) for pain. MRI is used to look more closely at the meniscus and determine if it is something that needs surgical treatment, although not all meniscus root tears show up on MRI. In particular, making sure the meniscus has a thorough release from scar tissue and making sure that ones sutures or UltraTape are placed into the best substance possible for the meniscus root repair, are important considerations to maximize the chance of healing of the revision root repair procedure. In January of this year, I finally decided to go back to my doctor to get that MRI. Ill def refer friends and family! Did you have any meniscus surgery in the past and youre still dealing with pain, swelling and possibly even losing motion in your knee? endobj If the meniscus is extruded, the patient may not be having a restoration of their shock-absorbing capacity of the meniscus. I recommend him, as well as his staff, to anyone requiring such services. One should assess the range of motion at that point in time that can be performed in a safe zone to make sure that the physical therapist does not flex them harder in this time frame. A meniscus root repair involves reattaching the meniscus back to bone where it has been torn. In addition, because of studies from our biomechanical studies showing significant stress on the meniscus with deep flexion, as well as the fact that many meniscus root tears occur with deep flexion, we have patients avoid squatting, squatting and lifting and sitting cross-legged (which puts extra stress on a root repair) for a minimum of 4 months postoperatively to maximize the healing potential. Edina, MN 55435, EAGAN-VIKING LAKES OFFICE