There are two types of cartilage in the knee, articular cartilage and meniscus cartilage. Any activity that causes you to forcefully twist or rotate your knee, especially when. Specific changes in the program will be made by the. Knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair rehab protocol. Degenerative tears most commonly occur in middleaged people. How well the knee will heal and whether surgery will be needed depends in large part on the type of tear see figure in appendix and how bad the tear is. Postoperative knee meniscus repair rehabilitation protocol from san francisco orthopaedic sports medicine surgeon dr. Your knee meniscus is fibrocartilage that separates thigh bone femur from your shin bone tibia. Do this exercise if you are unable to extend your knee.
Straighten your injured leg as the other leg comes off the floor. Symptoms include pain on the inside of the knee which. Type of meniscal tear, patients functional needs, state of the joint before surgery, recovery time and compliancemotivation of the patient are factors that. Athletes, particularly those who play contact sports, are at risk for meniscus tears.
The traumatic type of meniscal injuries is most often sportsrelated. The meniscus is a cshaped piece of cartilage in the knee that cushions and acts as a. Knee meniscus repair post operative rehabilitation. After meniscal surgery, rehabilitation with a physical therapist or athletic trainer is needed to restore range of motion, strength, movement control and guide the athletes return to sport. You may do the rest of the exercises when the pain in your knee has decreased. Rehabilitation exercises a meniscus tear is a common knee joint injury. There is evidence suggesting that degenerative tears in older. The orthopedic surgeon may modify the time frames and weight bearing status, as necessary, to allow adequate healing time. Rehabilitation depending on the severity of the damage the rehabilitation process may take from 412 weeks. Behrens, md abstract meniscal injury is a common cause for presentation to the emergency department or primary care physicians office. If you have questions, contact the referring physician. Meniscus repair rehabilitation program gundersen health system.
The medial meniscus is semicircular in shape and the lateral meniscus is almost a. When the meniscus root is repaired there will be a prolonged. Optimizing recovery after knee meniscal or cartilage injury. Meniscal cartilage tear exercises summit medical group. Meniscus repair rehabilitation the following protocol is a guideline for rehabilitation following meniscus repair. Knee function assessment in patients with meniscus injury. Knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair rehab protocol longitudinal bucket handle tears this protocol provides you with general guidelines for initial stage and progression of rehabilitation according to specified time frames, related tissue tolerance and directional preference of movement. Jan 21, 20 the meniscus transplantation technique has developed since ten years, therefore scientific study on rehabilitation timing after allograft meniscus surgery are still limited. Physical therapy exercises for a knee meniscus tear. Work with your doctor to plan a rehabilitation rehab program that helps you regain as much strength and flexibility in your knee as possible. Selecting the most appropriate treatment for a given patient involves both patient factors e. Anterior cruciate ligament acl and meniscus repair rehabilitation protocol general notes.
Com meniscal cartilage tear top view femur thighbone tibia shinbone medical meniscus front view of knee lateral meniscus torn what are the symptoms. Small meniscal tears commonly medial tears will often lead to a quicker rehabilitation period than a more complicated tear, especially if the lateral meniscus is injured. A torn meniscus is one of the most common knee injuries. The described neuromuscular and strengthtraining program should be considered for rehabilitation of middleaged individuals with degenerative meniscus tears. The rubbery meniscus cushions the knee, but a twist or pivot can tear this cartilage. Do this exercise if you are unable to fully extend your knee. Specific intervention should be based on the needs of the individual and should consider exam findings and clinical decision making.
Find out when it helps, what to expect, and how long. A clinical commentary article pdf available in journal of orthopaedic and sports physical therapy 462. Physical therapy pt can be useful for a torn meniscus whether or not you have surgery. Articular cartilage is made up of collagen, proteoglycans and water and lines the end of the bones that meet. Acute traumatic tears occur most frequently in the athletic population as a result of a twisting injury to the knee when the foot is planted.
A 12week exercise therapy program in middleaged patients. How well the knee will heal and whether surgery will be needed depends in large part on the type of tear and how bad the tear is. However, headtohead comparison of programs in a randomized design is needed to determine if this specific program is significantly better than other interventions. Jan 16, 2016 postoperative knee meniscus repair rehabilitation protocol from san francisco orthopaedic sports medicine surgeon dr. For most tears, some simple exercises can help maintain muscle strength in the front of the thigh quadriceps, back of the thigh hamstr. An injury to your knee meniscus or joint cartilage can happen when you move suddenly or repeatedly move the wrong way. It is no means intended to be a substitute for ones clinical decision making regarding the. Aug 09, 2019 a torn meniscus is a tear of one of the semicircular cartilage discs in the knee joint.
It can be torn if you suddenly twist your knee while bearing weight on it. Meniscus tears can occur from an injury or wear and tear on the joint over time. Nov 15, 2019 the meniscus is a cshaped piece of tough, rubbery cartilage that acts as a shock absorber between your shinbone and thighbone. Work with your doctor to plan a rehabilitation rehab program that helps you regain as much. Rehabilitation guidelines for meniscal repair of root and. The aim of phase 3 of a meniscus tear rehabilitation program is to ensure full range of movement in the knee, regain normal strength with the ability to perform a full squat and start to return to running and normal training. Meniscus rehab exercises the physical therapy advisor.
Knee meniscus repair post operative rehabilitation protocol. Manske claimed that meniscus transplants are under more stress in a joint with early degenerative processes, consequently a conservative rehabilitation protocol results. However, it may also occur in older athletes through gradual degeneration. Also, the medial meniscus absorbs up to 50% of the shock of the medial compartment, making the medial meniscus susceptible to injury. Conservative treatment for meniscus rehabilitation spencer, n. As shown in this article, after meniscal tear, there are varied surgical and rehabilitation treatments and the timing of recovery from meniscal injuries after surgery is very different. Like a lot of knee injuries, a meniscus tear can be painful and debilitating. This blood supply is necessary for a tear or a repair to heal. A medial meniscus tear is more common than a lateral meniscus tear because it firmly attaches to the deep medial collateral ligament and the joint capsule. Cartilage is tough, smooth, rubbery tissue that lines. The meniscus can be torn anterior to posterior, radially parrot beak, or can have a bucket handle appearance. Meniscal tears can occur when the knee is forcefully twisted, sustains a direct blow, deep. For this reason, rehabilitation following a meniscal repair is particularly conservative in an effort to protect the repaired meniscus. Common tears include longitudinal, parrotbeak, flap, bucket handle, and mixedcomplex.
Treatment options for meniscal tears fall into three broad categories. The outer onethird of the meniscus has a rich blood supply. Find out when it helps, what to expect, and how long youll need to do it for. Physical therapy pt and exercises for a meniscus tear rehab. The protocol may be modified depending on the location and extent of the meniscal tear and subsequent repair. Tears are noted by how they look, as well as where the tear occurs in the meniscus. A medial meniscus tear on the inside of the knee is more common. Anterior cruciate ligament acl and meniscus repair. Optimizing recovery after knee meniscal or cartilage.
Brian krabak and susanne michaud talk about the injury and their approach to getting patients. Pain and swelling are the most common signs of an injury to your meniscus. Shift your weight onto the injured leg on the support. Meniscus tears are among the most common knee injuries. In fact, a meniscal tear is one of the most frequently occurring cartilage injuries. Stand with the foot of your injured leg on a support 3 to 5 inches 8 to centimeters high like a small step or block of wood. The meniscus is a piece of cartilage in the middle of your knee. Rehabilitation guidelines for meniscal repair uw health. It is caused by direct impact in contact sports or twisting.
Change dressing, keep wound covered, continue ted hose pod 710. In the younger population, your knee meniscus is usually torn traumatically, by twisting on a slightly flexed knee. For most tears, some simple exercises can help maintain muscle strength in the front of the thigh quadriceps, back of. Postoperative rehabilitation aims to foster healing after meniscal repair and facilitate the patients return to full function. The treatment chosen will depend on the location of the tear, the athletes sport, ligamentous stability of the knee and any associated injury. The decision by the surgeon to repair or remove is based primarily on the location of the meniscal tear. Lowe this rehabilitation protocol was developed for patients who have isolated meniscal repairs. Also, the medial meniscus absorbs up to 50% of the shock of the medial compartment. Meniscal repairs located in the vascular zones of the periphery or outer. The intent of this protocol is to provide the clinician with a guideline of the postoperative rehabilitation course of a patient that has undergone a meniscal repair.
When people talk about torn cartilage in the knee, they are usually referring to a torn meniscus. Be sure to rotate your leg outward laterally slightly to gain a better activation of the medial inner side of the quadriceps. If an acl reconstruction and meniscus repair are performed, follow the meniscus repair program for. Each knee joint has a medial meniscus and a lateral meniscus. If you have such an injury, you may feel knee pain and have limited motion. As tolerated should be understood to include with safety for the reconstructionrepair.
Rehabilitation protocol for meniscus repair this protocol is intended to guide clinicians and patients through the postoperative course for a meniscus repair. Symptoms of an acute meniscus tear include swelling, pain along the joint line, catching. Do this exercise if you are unable to extend your knee fully. Meniscal injuries can be the result of a forceful, twisting event in a young athletes knee or it can insid.
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