So exactly a week ago I had a bucket handle tear in my left knee, medial meniscus removed. I feel im doing pretty good getting my range of motion back, but im still experiencing pretty good pain in my knee. Swelling is almost all gone as well.
I also have a decent limp, because if I walk on it normal, or try to, it feels like my leg is about to snap in half at the knee and causes pretty good pain. Just sitting here ill get shooting pains in the same area where it was before the tear. For example sitting on the toilet is very painful in the normal position.
Is this normal? Surgeon made it sound like id be perfectly fine a few days after surgery. I go for my post op on Tuesday and was expecting to go get cleared to go back to work that day as well (work construction, lots of heavy lifting ect) but now im questioning it. Oh, and sleep is pretty miserable as well.
I normally tolerate pain extremely well, but this is just getting annoying now. Maybe its because I was under the impression of the surgeon id be fine in a few days and in 2 weeks it would be like nothing ever happened? Is this normal at this stage 1 week out?
Edit: Should also note he did not prescribe any PT. But, my wife is a PT and has me doing stuff. Without her advice my knee would probably still not be moving as all he told me to do was try to bend it once in a while and that I could walk on it immediately after surgery. Also, if I remember correctly, and I dont have a percentage, but I believe he took over 2/3rds of my medial meniscus.
When i had arthroscopy 7yrs ago for knee,medial tear, i went to PT next day. Very swollen, required crutches. The right one done 2yrs ago, they said rest ice elevate x48hrs. Then PT. I had better outcome. Stayed swollen a while though, weeks n weeks. By 6, yes SIX, weeks i was normal. But 11mo later the impact was too much. Thats how i ended up w bilateral partial replacements 1yr after the right and/six years after the left knee arthroscopy. On my feet 12hrs physical job.
I saw a guy in office who had 3 done on one knee n he had been there just for a ck up. Took him 2wks.
Its just our bodies, they all act different. I strapped an ice bag under my pants when i had to go back after 3wks w the left knee(no choices then like now). It helped but in retrospect i know now, it never healed "right"
Good luck :D
Ouch. Yea ive been elevating and icing nonstop as well as doing a lot of at home pt. My wife says my range of motion looks pretty good for one week. But she cant figure out why its hurting so much.
Im just fully expecting to go back to a physically demanding job next week where im regularly squatting down to pick up a 100 lbs and jumping in holes and shoveling ect ect. I just don't know if thats being realistic or not.