4 weeks post knee arthroscopy, symptoms persist

[Robert Shillito]

Hi,

just wondering if anyone can give me some advice?

I had an arthroscopy on my knee 4 weeks ago and had some of my meniscus shaved. I had symptoms of a dull ache on the medial side that got worse over two years. This came on after exercise, but came to a point were just walking would set it off. I had about a week were the knee didn't ache after the op and just felt weird cos of sticking things in there. I went for a 30 minute walk as it was feeling good and all was fine until a couple of days later when it swelled up a bit and the dull ache returned. The knee now pretty much aches from when i wake up. It doesn't hurt to weight bere, it just aches when i stay still for periods of time or after any walking.

I'm in the uk and the aftercare from the nhs is crap at best. Got an appointment in three weeks, but getting frustrated as I'm not sure if im meant to be working through this? Is this normal and just part of the healing process?

Any advice and exercises that might help would be appreciated. I bought a static trainer for my mountain bike and would like to start building up, but not sure if I should wait for the ache to disappear?

Thanks

Rob

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[mcasus]

Have you done any quads strengthening exercises? Have you used ice or heat on a regular basis? Post-arthroscopy there will be inflammation, and also swelling in the joint, which is normal for a certain period of time post-op. Even a very small amount of swelling inside the joint (25 cc) can cause pain in the knee and aggravate weakness of the quads. With a long-standing knee problem, there is a reliable body of evidence that targeted, gradual, progressive strengthening of the quadriceps mechanism can give significant improvement. Stationary biking with no resistance, several times a day for short periods to start with will help with range of motion. Strengthening and flexibility exercises should be begun a.s.a.p. after the surgical procedure. I suggest you find a Physiotherapist who specializes in Sports Medecine to guide you through this period.