Recovery after meniscectomy

Recovery protocol after meniscectomy

After surgery, an elastic bandage and an ice pack will be applied to the knee before leaving the operating room. The ice pack will help reduce pain and swelling. Cryotherapy should be used continuously for the first 3-4 days after surgery. Subsequently, the ice should be used for about 30 minutes between physiotherapy sessions. After 24 hours, the patient will be discharged, with a treatment that must not lack an antibiotic (3 days), an anti-inflammatory (7 days), an analgesic (if necessary), and an anticoagulant (2 days).

Recovery protocol after meniscectomy in the first 7 days after meniscectomy:

Objectives:

• pain and swelling control
• performing a wide range of movement exercises immediately
• reaching and keeping completely passive the extension and flexion up to 90 degrees
• prevention of quadriceps muscle atrophy
• resumption of walking
• pain and swelling control

What to do after the operation:

2. During the surgery immediately, you must stand with your foot up (prone position and put ice on your knees)
3. Do not stand for a long time with your foot in a fixed position (lower than the rest of your body), as this will increase the volume of your knee and foot.
4. Pain control involves the administration of analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs during hospitalization.
5. We advise you to tread with all your weight on the operated leg, from the next postoperative day.
6. You can take a shower, but the sutures must be protected from water.

From the next day, during which the pain and swelling have improved, the patient will start physical therapy:

3 rounds/day of 3 sets of 10 repetitions: isometric contractions of the quadriceps muscle. Each contraction lasts 6 seconds.


3 rounds/day of 8 sets of 10 repetitions: flexion of the thigh on the pelvis at 45-60 degrees. In a supine position, with the knee extended, the patient raises the leg to 45-60 degrees and maintains the position for 6 seconds. The exercises are performed very gently. After each lift, the patient can relax his muscles for 2-3 seconds.


3 rounds/day of 8 sets of 10 repetitions: abduction of the thigh on the pelvis at 45-60 degrees. In a lateral supine position with the knee extended, the patient raises the leg to 45-60 degrees and maintains the position for 6 seconds. The exercises are performed very gently. After each lift, the patient can relax his muscles for 2-3 seconds. Repeat the same exercise in a supine position.

4-6 rounds/day of 10 minutes of passive flexion and active extension 0-90 degrees: at the edge of the physiotherapy table the foot is lowered passively under the action of gravitational force, and raised by the contraction of the quadriceps muscle, helped with the contralateral leg (unoperated ) in both phases.


After 3-4 days the patient will start flexing the leg on the thigh up to 90 degrees, an exercise that will be repeated in the first 7 days as follows: 3 rounds/day of 8 sets of 10 repetitions.

The patient can passively use an ergonomic bicycle, pedaling only with the healthy foot. The patient should follow a few physiotherapy sessions in the first 10 days postoperatively to reduce inflammation and pain.

Recovery protocol after meniscectomy on days 8-14 after meniscectomy:

Objectives:

• Psycho-social and family reintegration

The patient must continue physical therapy: isometric contractions, raising the limb to 60 degrees, passive extension, passive extension assisted by ms contraction. quadriceps, passive and active flexion. All exercises are done according to the same program. Their order does not matter, only the number of repetitions and rest times. Each period of the day of physical therapy must include all the exercises listed in the previous program.

If the patient has an office job, he is allowed to reintegrate after 7 days. If he has a job that involves intense physical activity, the rest period is 4 weeks.