2700 Vikings Circle It was press/bench day, so I set up for some seated presses and dragged a stool over to prop my left leg up while I benched. It involves removal of some or all of a meniscus from the tibio-femoral joint of the knee using arthroscopic (keyhole) surgery. Using specific guides to ensure that one can place tunnels in the anatomic position and using self-capture devices, which have been devised to be small enough to not scuff up the cartilage, are some of the best means to perform a transtibial meniscus root repair with self-capture devices. Is this normal? I was hit by a car on my bicycle near Horsetooth Reservoir in CO. repair to heal. A meniscal repair is a keyhole surgery technique for repairing a ripped meniscus.. Definitely a Bakers Cyst, my doctor said when I saw him. If a patient does have a meniscus root tear and the cartilage in that same compartment is still relatively good or normal, a meniscus root repair would be indicated. We had a wonderful experience and I highly recommend him. Most patients will have pain with squatting and deep knee flexion with a root tear because a meniscus root tear occurs in the back of the knee. Begin passive range of motion exercises Start physical therapy or home exercise program 1-3 days after surgery Work on quad recruitment Brace/Crutch Use 25% weight bearing with crutches, brace 0-90 when ambulating and sleeping, can remove . drive the next day if they feel ok. Usually, pain is minimal after this type of surgery. I asked when I could start driving, and he said when I was off my pain medication. There are 2 main variants of the transtibial root repair technique. For this reasons, it is crucial to identifiy and treat meniscal root tears in a timely manner. He then drills a hole from the front of the tibia, into the root area and brings the sutures through the hole in order to tie them together and hold the tissue in place. Many tears have better outcomes if they are treated early. Thanks to his staff for being so helpful. More diffuse pain over the inside of the knee which becomes progressive over time can be particular ominous because this may mean that the cartilage is wearing out fast or that one has an insufficiency fracture or spontaneous osteonecrosis of the knee, occurring due to the fact that the meniscus is such an important shock absorber. If it is the right knee, the average time until the patient is able to drive is 6-9 weeks. I had shoulder cuff repair, involving 2 ligaments & bone spurs, only 6 weeks ago. Full recovery usually takes 6 months but can take up to 1 year. If it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physical therapist - to do it to you b. And if youve already had your meniscus surgery, then you know what to do so that youre not getting more swelling, pain and not losing motion than that knee and youre staying out of the surgeons office, so you dont have to go back again for another knee surgery. In our hands, because we have performed many second look arthroscopies, we have found that the 2-tunnel technique allows for a broader surface area of the meniscus against the decorticated bone and seems to allow for a more solid and secure repair. I hung on to this MRI referral for a good month or so, because the knee was starting to feel better, and I was still able to train and attend my BJJ classes. It has now been demonstrated that the results of meniscectomies are almost the same as not treating the meniscus root tear at all with a large number of patients within 5 years proceeding to needing a total knee arthroplasty. The most common method to fix meniscus root tears is through a tibial bone tunnel. The menisci in the knee are two c-shaped pieces of fibrocartilage that act as shock absorbers. On Wednesday, February 20, 2019, I had a meniscus root repair surgery on my left knee. The back attachment of the medial meniscus, called a posterior horn attachment, is the most common location for meniscus root tears to occur. Dr. Nwachukwu and his team will have an individualized recovery program for the best healing success after your meniscal root repair. I was cleared to drive at my followup appointment 2 weeks after surgery, which was exactly what my surgeon had told me to expect. And then they lose motion. Definition/Description. His step by step explanation of surgery expectations before and after the procedure was specific, thorough, and answered all of my questions. In terms of how, the transtibial technique has been felt to be the most effective way to pull the meniscus root back to its normal attachment site. When I returned home around 1pm that day, I sat in my living room for a bit, emailing and texting people to let them know I was alive and well. % He has repaired both of my shoulders and he is awesome to the max. The following Tuesday, I saw my doctor. Dr. Burnham and Jerrica are AMAZING! I would recommend his service to any recreational athlete. 2 0 obj Had a meniscus root repair yesterday and the surgery was successful. This hoop stress is resisted by fibers that run circumferentially through the meniscus. Therefore, one should attempt a meniscus root repair whenever possible in most patients up to age 70. I think my clients thought I had lost my mind, but what else was I going to do? Super knowledgeable. Definitely recommend. Partial weightbearing status (<50%), unless otherwise ordered by MD. Thus, when one does sustain a lateral meniscus root tear with an ACL tear, consideration should be given to having a concurrent lateral meniscus root repair so the ACL graft does not stretch out. Thanks to Dr. Burnham and his staff. After about two hours, I got up, crutched into the kitchen, brewed a pot of coffee and made myself some pancakes. I have see all three orthopedic doctors at the Grove and Jerrica is the one I see the most and the latest she's absolutely wonderful. Historically, most root tears were treated with meniscectomies because the importance of the meniscus root as a shock absorber was not well known. We are so grateful for you both! And theres things that you can do, which Ill allude to here in the middle. The meniscus is a piece of cartilage in the knee, often injured in sports. For these, please consult a doctor (virtually or in person). Patients \50 years had outcomes similar to those of patients !50 years, as did . What was going to help my knee? United States. In general, almost all meniscus root tears require a 6-week period of being nonweightbearing to maximize the healing potential. We will determine during your consultation whether general or regional anesthesia would be appropriate - either way, no pain will be experienced during the procedure itself. This allows the meniscus to heal back to the bone. One should assess the range of motion at that point in time that can be performed in a safe zone to make sure that the physical therapist does not flex them harder in this time frame. Just its a big deal to take your time and let that cartilage heal at the rate that it heals you generally can go faster than what it heals, And the question that i get often is do i take any supplements glucosamine chondroitin those types of supplements and you know the answer to that is its not going to hurt we the research is kind of mixed on it sometimes it helps sometimes it doesnt help what we know is that it generally doesnt hurt it doesnt make it worse so youre not going to youre not going to make things worse if you decide to take those supplements are generally safe to take but some people report no difference. These radial root tears are equivalent to a meniscus root tear. The feeling that your knee is giving way, locking, or catching when you bend it. Patients often report hearing a pop at the time of injury. His interaction with me around my surgery calmed me, and his excellent work in the operating room speaks for itself. Other complications can include a blood clot, which is usually treated preemptively with some type of blood thinner, and irritation around the surgical button and/or surgical knot from the meniscus root tear. If one does a meniscus root repair in that extruded position, the chance of a meniscus root repair working over the long term is very minimal. While there are many factors that can go into extrusion, a maximum attempt should be made by the surgeon to try to pull the meniscus back in the joint to give the meniscus the best chance to function as a shock absorber after it heals. And if youve never worked out your glutes if you went through physical therapy never really targeted your glutes ever you better start quick because chances are youve got a muscle imbalance thats caused extra pressures inside your knee thats led to that meniscus tear to begin with thats been the root problem and glute strength is what offsets that forces inside the knee so that your meniscus can heal all the way. Their sense of compassion and understanding is more than we have ever experienced. I have now biked five to six days each week since my surgery. Are you a candidate for a meniscal root repair? If the surgery is on the right leg i change to Iatrogenic meniscus root tears have been described for all 4 meniscal attachments in the knee. Many patients do not have significant joint line pain like a typical meniscus tear, so having a patient stand up and squat down is often performed during the clinical exam to validate that the patient may have a meniscus root tear. This technically challenging procedure should only be done by an orthopedic knee expert like Dr. Nwachukwu who has had extensive experience in performing the meniscal root tear repair correctly. The average pain levels after a meniscus root repair fit between a basic knee arthroscopy (minimal pain) and an ACL reconstruction (more severe pain). Does a extruded medial meniscus towards the posterior root need surgery? You may need surgery to restore full knee function. W;5$u4Yxa_V_bm}q8=^_qbY,H(+",X'{|oMs"&A;3.E s&L=Z`)!]$],b }zb& Y@dy.Lif1:4@"Fz"U2`/h0|6^T&}56+Q:Dn{d:rqW@3 7 U. The blood supply to the meniscus in an adolescent or adult is very poor. BJJ was also becoming more and more of an issue, and the warm-ups were now next to impossible. The root attachments of the posterior horns of the medial and lateral meniscus are very important for joint health. But youve got to figure out a way to get your butt muscles stronger if youre looking for a more comprehensive plan for making your knee better and getting your glutes stronger we also have a program called the 28 day knee health and wellness boost program you can also find that in the link and as a link in the description below. And thats the 80% fact is true that does happen. For potential or actual medical emergencies, immediately call 911 or your local emergency service. The posterior roots are the most important as this is where a root tear occurs most commonly. After creating two transtibial tunnels, passing sutures through the detached root of the meniscus and down the tibial tunnels, the sutures are tensioned to reduce the root of the meniscus to anatomic position. Therefore, a lateral meniscus root repair can be an essential portion of a surgery to address the secondary restrains for a concurrent ACL reconstruction procedure. Patients are allowed to walk 4-6 weeks after surgery. It helps to be strong, my PT remarked. The next day, my left knee blew up to the size of a grapefruit. When a torn fragment is floating in the joint, patients will feel a sudden, sha twitter.com/i/web/status/1, According to an injury study done in 2021, #Pickleball has been deemed safer than #tennis and better for individual twitter.com/i/web/status/1, Cysts Acetabular Paralabral and Subchondral, ACL Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury of the Knee, Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome Runners Knee, PVNS of the Knee Pigmented Villonodular Synovitis, Osteochondral Allograft Transplantation Surgery (OATS), Patellofemoral Arthroscopy Runners Knee Treatment, Stabilization for Instability-Arthroscopic, Subacromial Decompression for Impingement, How to prevent common skiing and snowboarding injuries | Ski Injury Doctor Manhattan, BICMD Co-Founder and Co-CEO Announces Expansion of Services, Patients are partial weight bearing for the first 4 weeks and then during weeks 4-6 are progressed to full weight-bearing. I have been very pleased with him at each visit..It's been almost 2 years since my meniscus root tear surgery and I have to say my knee feels great. Meniscal repair may be performed either by open surgery under direct vision or minimally invasively using an arthroscope that can be inserted into the knee through a very small key-hole incision to locate and repair the damaged meniscus. If you had a knee surgery if youve been seen physical therapy or any other health care professionals and theyre telling you youll be fine in three months back to normal youll be dancing youll be exercising youll be playing with the grandkids again just smile and remember this video. Oftentimes, after having a meniscus surgery, people are told that they'll be fine. Really a national leader in sports medicine! Dr. Burnham performed my hip pin surgery and it all went extremely well. So go check out that video on how to exercise your glutes theres five exercises in there that you can start doing them i would do them every day i do them a couple times a day even more if you can i would do what you can tolerate without it being too much soreness and your glute muscles and they should all generally be okay on your knee theres some where you got to kneel you can adjust it you can not do that exercise if you want. And Im a specialist physical therapist El Paso manual physical therapy. Please subscribe to this channel and turn on your notifications so that you dont miss a single video with great tips and advice that we put out every single week. The incisions leave scars that usually fade in time. They moved my knee a bit, and I had decent ROM, better than expected. In layman terms, I had completely torn my medial meniscus from the bone, and it had to be sewn back on. This technique is fast and effective. Dr. Burnham made sure I knew what was happening and what could happen. I was adding 10 pounds a week for deadlifts but have now switched to pause deadlifts on Tuesday and add only 5 pounds a week to the heavy deadlift. In particular, making sure the meniscus has a thorough release from scar tissue and making sure that ones sutures or UltraTape are placed into the best substance possible for the meniscus root repair, are important considerations to maximize the chance of healing of the revision root repair procedure. Knee popping after meniscus surgery can occur due to fluid accumulation, scar tissue, swelling and stretching of the tendon and ligaments, weakened leg muscles, changes in patellar tracking, underlying knee arthritis, unstable meniscus, and inflamed plica. And they can get back to normal in about two or three months after having the surgery. Now, the focus when you go into a surgeons office, theyre looking at your MRI, theyre looking at your meniscus on the MRI, theyre telling you the tear in the way that its torn and how theyre going to repair it. I am currently on crutches for 6-8 weeks with no pressure on my leg at all. Unlike some meniscus tears which can be observed or treated conservatively, most meniscus root tears need surgery. So you need to just have that expectation right now if youre going to go get a surgery, or if youve already had one, if its been more than six months, or youre in that you know, past six months, six to 12 months range or longer since your meniscus surgery, then its okay as long as you dont have another tear or some other massive injury to it, you can probably get that swelling under control, regain your motion back as long as it hasnt been too long. I could no longer deadlift from the floor, and was having trouble squatting below parallel. Get answers from Family Physicians and top U.S. doctors, Our doctors evaluate, diagnose, prescribe, order lab tests, and recommend follow-up care. They are also important to the stability and function of the knee, keeping the meniscus in place. When I said I was not on any medication, he said when I could bend my leg 90 degrees. Country. Video chat with a U.S. board-certified doctor 24/7 in a minute. It hurt like hell. There are some isolated reports of using suture anchors to repair a meniscus root repair, but this area of the knee is very difficult to access and the suture anchors can leave large knots which could subsequently interfere with the cartilage surfaces in the knee. Two days after my surgery, Diego took me to my first PT session. Dr. Burnham is extremely professional, knowledgeable, understanding, kind, and precise. If patients put weight on the knee immediately after the repair, the forces on . The technique of a meniscus root repair involves isolating the root, placing a minimum of 2 sutures in the remaining meniscal attachment, and trying to reposition it back to a more anatomic position.