10 Day Meniscus Update

All is going fairly well on the post surgery front. On Friday I had my first PT session. The Therapist poke, prodded, measured and stretched me in various painful ways. She also gave me a long lecture on my poor posture. So, we now have 2 problems to work on. I hate being broken …Old age sucks!

The right leg has significant atrophy. There is a lot of work to be done prior to retuning to distance running. I am to do PT 2-3 times a week.

I learned an important lesson on Friday. When I returned home, I was a bit upset in the exercise the PT gave me to do. Basically, I do 2 sets of stretches and 2 sets of knee extensions without any resistance. My initial impression was "how is this going to get me back into shape… I need more". Well, I was wrong. Yesterday at the gym, these simple exercises kicked my butt. Lesson learned – Listen to the Professional they know more that I do.

Following my humiliation, I did 15 minutes on the recumbent bike and a light upper body gym workout. Following my workout, I weighed myself – bad news I am 22 pounds heavier that I was in April prior to the injury. Good bye beer and snacks … Gotta get back in the gym and burn this blubber off.

Back to the Grind

Today was my first day back to work following the surgery. I attended an all day meeting which required a lot of standing. By the end of the day I was hurting, needless to say I decided to skip the gym and rushed home to my ice pack and a Scotch on the rocks.

I finally connected with the physical therapist and have an appointment for Friday afternoon. The PT has a unique practice that combines Pilates with traditional PT. Hopefully, they will help me with my flexibility along with my meniscus recovery.

Meeting with the Doctor

Today, I had my 1 week post surgical checkup with the Doctor. I have been given the ok to go back to work and I should be back to distance running in 6-8 weeks, just in time for the fall marathon season.

According to the surgeon I had a 35% tear of the medial meniscus with some minor wear. He recommends some physical therapy and to come back in 8 weeks. Following the recovery, I have the go ahead to attempt distance running with the understanding that if it hurts too much I may need to become a biker.

I have made some calls to local Physical Therapist; work must be good because no one is jumping to take my business. Life is getting back to normal… tomorrow I will start back in the gym for a light weight workout.

 

Meniscus Surgery Day 5

I am feeling OK today. The knee appears to be healing well but is still quite swollen. I am still having stiffness and trouble climbing stairs.

Tomorrow, I will see the surgeon and hopefully be released to physical therapy. Wednesday will be my first day back to work.

Post Surgery Day 4

I am recovering well but the knee is still swollen. This morning I tried to do a short walk consisting of less that a quarter mile and it was hard to complete. Following the walk the knee, calf and hamstrings were throbbing. Stair climbing is a bit difficult. I don’t have the flexibility to step up with the repaired knee.

Rest and ice are the orders for today.

Meniscus Surgery Day Three

This morning I removed the elastic bandage. Much to my surprise the knee looks better than expected. I have 2 stitches where they inserted the instruments and a small amount of swelling. The most obvious sign of surgery is the purple graffiti left by the surgeons marking pen. Everything feels much better with the bandage off. I am much more mobile and was able to finally take a shower!

Time to do a bit of showing off … I am going to meet the Snails for breakfast. I will be the good smelling one with the slight limp.

Meniscus Surgery + 48 Hours

I am still feeling OK. I slept well last night but awoke with a bit of nausea. The knee is a little looser and not too painful. I did not take any pain killers yesterday. Tomorrow the compression bandage comes off and I should be better able to assess the damage.

I spoke to the nurse at work and she warned that I am going to experience more pain in the next few days as the healing progresses. I told here that I felt that I would be back to the office sometime next week. She said to count on coming in sometime the following week.

The doctor’s office called to check up. The nurse said that the tear was larger than expected and that there were some areas of wear seen. I will have to leave it up to the doctor to tell me what this means to my future running plans. I expect that a lot depends on what happens on the PT front.

I am becoming a couch potato! Day time TV and junk food are addicting.