Two weeks after meniscus root repair

Meniscus root repair

In the winter of 2021 I fell on ice and since then I started to have issues with my knee. In March and April 2021 I did physical therapy and rehabilitation, after 20 sessions I felt pretty good and in the summer of 2021 I began to run again (small distances 5-7km). After a year in which I walked and run and felt completely normal my knee pain came back. This year I experienced a lot of pain in my knee while walking but it was very inconsistent. After getting a new MRI I found out I had a torn meniscus that I had either torn at the beginning of this year or late last year. After consulting multiple orthopedic surgeons I found out that it wasn’t a simple meniscus tear, but a meniscus root tear which is more difficult to repair and the rehab period is way longer. For getting the right diagnosis I went to seven orthopedic surgeons(five in Iasi, and two in Bucharest) and received different opinions and treatment options. An illustration for treating meniscus root repair is depicted in the following picture:

Image taken from ScienceDirect

I decided to proceed with surgery in a hospital in Bucharest, Royal Hospital, with a surgeon that made me feel confident in the success of the surgery. The surgery was on the 5th of April, the surgeon threaded my meniscus root with ultrabraid threads, drilled two channels through my bone, and threaded and anchored the strings on a metal button at the front of my tibia. For this type of meniscus repair, rehabilitation follows a linear periodization protocol based on progressive loading of the repair. The first 6 weeks are focused on non-weight-bearing protection, followed by 2 to 3 weeks of gradual progressive weight-bearing. The doctor also prescribed daily injections with anticoagulants (Clexane) to prevent blood clots. Fun times!

Now I am two weeks post-operative and I follow rigorously doctor’s recommendations and do my PT exercises (daily isometric exercises ~60 minutes) In the last days, I was optimistic as I did not feel any knee pain, although at times I am anxious about the functional result of the surgery, how I will feel when I’m allowed to walk, or if I will be able ever to run long distances. In these two weeks I learned a lot of lessons in patience and presence, read two good books, and started this blog.

I seek to understand and learn from my life experiences. I know that I’m strong and determined to find a way to stay active, outside of work, the majority of my life and happiness is active: running, hiking, biking… This too shall pass, I hope for the best!