I’ve been dealing with periodic but occasionally quite intense pain in my left knee for some time now. It will be mostly fine for months and then for a week or two it will suddenly swell up and give me stabbing pains any time I walk. It doesn’t actually affect my lifts much as long as I’m only squatting to parallel, but it makes getting down on the floor with my kids just about impossible.
Last week I had an MRI and they confirmed a tear of the medial meniscus and so I am going to get it scoped. Expected time to full recovery is 6 weeks.
My question is: Would the 16 week knee template be appropriate to run during this time? I ask because the description says it is for “non-specific knee pain” and the pain/rehab here will be quite specific. My understanding is I ought to be able to walk pretty much as normal during the 6 weeks but that I need to be careful about sharp, sudden movements or changes of direction; I am less clear about the limitations I will have while lifting and what the timelines will be for getting back to squatting/deadlifting.
Thanks for reaching out. The knee template would be perfect in this instance. If you need or want any additional guidance you can always reach out to use for a consultation and programming through the rehab department. In general, after this surgery the rehab process is pretty straight forward. It is pretty common to have some residual swelling along the inside border of your kneecap and a little pain there as you increase movements. If this occurs, you are normal. I would also recommend giving the post op knee rehab piece a read for some perspective on goals after surgery.
Hey just seeing this now – thanks for the feedback. I’m thrilled to find out that template can accommodate my situation. The last thing I wanted was for my gym to finally lift covid restrictions, only to have to give up (lower body) lifting again.
But, reading the linked article, I do have a question about this statement: For example, the evidence shows that arthroscopic surgery for degenerative knee arthritis and meniscus tears is ineffective, yet the surgery is still performed frequently.
Am I to understand that your general recommendation would be to not have surgery for this sort of injury?
(If that’s not something you can answer in a forum like this, for free, without having seen the imaging, I do understand).
Hey Matt, we would need a remote consultation with you to weigh in on your situation and give individual advice and recommendations. I did a longer discussion on the topic of meniscal surgery here that you may find helpful.