Doctors don’t usually recommend starting a physical therapy routine immediately after a meniscal tear. There’s a lot of swelling and inflammation that needs to go down before exercises can be effective. Doctors usually recommend following the RICE protocol: R is for rest.
Is walking good for a meniscus tear?
If your doctor has told you that you don’t need surgery to repair your torn meniscus, you may be given the green light to walk. However, you’ll want to be very careful about movements that might worsen the tear or cause you pain. Avoid squatting and pivoting, which are likely to place too much pressure on the knee.
How do you heal a meniscus tear fast?
Treatment
- Rest. Avoid activities that aggravate your knee pain, especially any activity that causes you to twist, rotate or pivot your knee.
- Ice. Ice can reduce knee pain and swelling.
- Medication. Over-the-counter pain relievers also can help ease knee pain.
What exercises should you avoid with a torn meniscus?
The patient should avoid pivoting and squatting and should work on keeping the quadriceps muscles strong. If the swelling and pain have not resolved in 6 weeks, they usually won’t without surgical intervention.
Is it OK to exercise with a torn meniscus? – Related Questions
What worsens a meniscus tear?
Continuing to walk on the affected leg can aggravate your symptoms, making pain and stiffness worse in as little as a few days. Plus, suffering a torn meniscus may also increase your risk of complications, like developing osteoarthritis in that knee.
What are 3 signs of a meniscus tear in the knee?
Swelling or stiffness. Pain, especially when twisting or rotating your knee. Difficulty straightening your knee fully. Feeling as though your knee is locked in place when you try to move it.
How do you stay active with a torn meniscus?
Meniscus Tear: Rehabilitation Exercises
- Meniscus Tears.
- Quad Sets.
- Straight-Leg Raise to the Front.
- Straight-Leg Raise to the Back.
- Hamstring Curls.
- Heel Raises.
- Heel Dig Bridging.
- Shallow Standing Knee Bends.
Should you do squats with a torn meniscus?
Some exercises are too strenuous for people with meniscus tears. A person should not: do deep squats. do any exercise that involves pivoting or that otherwise twists the knee.
How long should you stay off a torn meniscus?
If you had a partial meniscectomy, you might be able to play sports in about 4 to 6 weeks. If you had meniscus repair, it may be 3 to 6 months before you can play sports. This care sheet gives you a general idea about how long it will take for you to recover. But each person recovers at a different pace.
Do squats damage meniscus?
Squatting or lunging with very heavy weights and without good form can tear your meniscus.
What is the best position for a torn meniscus?
Prop up the sore leg on a pillow when you ice your knee or any time you sit or lie down during the next 3 days. Try to keep your leg above the level of your heart. This will help reduce swelling. Follow your doctor’s directions for using crutches or a knee brace, if suggested.
Will a knee brace help a torn meniscus?
Will a knee brace help a torn meniscus? Yes. Although knee braces do not heal or treat your meniscus tear directly, they can provide extra support and stability for your knee while your meniscus injury heals. A good brace will protect your knee and take the pressure off your meniscus, allowing it to rest.
What are two treatments for a meniscus tear?
Nonsurgical treatments, such as anti-inflammatory medications and rehabilitation with a physical therapist may help some people with a torn meniscus. Other patients will need surgery, usually either a trimming or repair of the meniscus. Treatments may also depend on whether the tear is traumatic or degenerative.
Is heat or cold better for torn meniscus?
Ice Treatment: Ice is used in treating acute (new) injuries such as ankle sprains, fractures, and meniscus tears (torn cartilage in the knee). These types of injuries produce sudden, and often severe, pain and bring swelling (inflammation), tenderness, and the inability to put weight on the area.
Can you heal a meniscus tear naturally?
A torn meniscus is a knee injury that can heal naturally in various ways. Multiple studies have found that non-surgical torn meniscus treatments give similar results as surgical options. The natural recovery of a torn meniscus depends on the location, severity, and size of the tear.
Can you rehab a torn meniscus without surgery?
Today, in general, doctors recommend conservative treatment, not surgery, when meniscus tears result from degeneration. Many recent studies have shown that there’s no advantage to surgery with this type of tear, and that physical therapy works just as well.
What happens if you don’t treat meniscus tear?
An untreated meniscus tear can result in the frayed edge getting caught in the joint, causing pain and swelling. It can also result in long term knee problems such as arthritis and other soft tissue damage.
Will a cortisone shot help a torn meniscus?
A cortisone injection can effectively reduce pain and inflammation in your knee, as in the case of a torn meniscus. It’s only a temporary solution to your pain, though. It can’t heal your meniscus and may even delay your healing. It also can’t prevent you from injuring it again in the future.
