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Old     (bill)      Join Date: Feb 2001       01-26-2016, 5:09 PM Reply   
so im sure theres more than a few of you on here who has had their Menicus trimmed,

so im about to have my first surgery of any kind ever Friday, they are are going in to trim my meniscus where its torn and getting in the joint plus try and remove a cyst..

so im 46 yrs old how long do you think ill be able to lose the crutches an put weight on it, drive, walk up stairs, and finally feel back to normal where its strong enough to wakeboard again?
Old     (shawndoggy)      Join Date: Nov 2009       01-27-2016, 6:08 AM Reply   
My experience was that it was about a month or so till I wasn't thinking about it just walking around and then about 4 months to where I had to try to think about which knee it was again that they'd done the surgery on.

Assuming you can use it now but it hurts, you'll be getting better than that within two weeks post-op.
Old     (skiboarder)      Join Date: Oct 2006       01-27-2016, 6:16 AM Reply   
It all depends on the specific injury. My advice is to hit the gym and get strong now and then absolutely stay off of it as long as the doc says, without fail. Don't even hop on one foot to the fridge. The early stages are super critical for a good meniscus heal.
Old     (Preston)      Join Date: Jul 2010       01-27-2016, 9:09 AM Reply   
I've had 3 meniscus surgeries, 2 on the left, 1 on the right.

First one (2004, left knee), clean bucket tear. They attempted to repair the tear with sutures. With the repair I was required to stay off it for 4 weeks and use crutches. After the 4 weeks I did a couple weeks of physical therapy and then I was good to go. Unfortunately about 6 months later I popped the sutures and was back to square one.

Second one (2011, right knee), multiple tears on the meniscus, ACL sprain, and tibial plateau bone contusion. Was about 3 weeks after injury until i had surgery. They just did a clean up on the meniscus. I walked out of the surgery center, took it easy for a couple days and was good to go. No real down time after surgery. The first 2 weeks after the injury were worse than after the surgery.

Third one (left knee), I was just having more pain than usual from after popping the sutures back in 2005. Went in just for a clean up. They trimmed all the damaged meniscus, I walked out, took it easy for a few days, was back on the wakeboard 2 weeks later.

If they are just cleaning up the meniscus, you shouldn't have to be on crutches and should only have to take it easy for a few days. Lots of ice and a light compression wrap to keep the swelling down. It's a fairly easy recovery.

Good luck!
Old     (Ttime41)      Join Date: Nov 2011       01-27-2016, 9:23 AM Reply   
I can't speak much on the cyst aspect of the surgery, but I had my right knee scoped two summers ago and my left knee scoped last summer (both different types of tears, caused by wakeboarding). Like mine, it seems like they are not planning on attempting to repair your meniscus, they will just cut out the torn part that is causing the discomfort. This means that the only thing limiting you will be pain, and not potential for further damage. I was able to walk without my crutches the day after both times, and was able to ride a skateboard again within a week of my first one. It really depends on how much they cut out, as my second time they removed more and it was about two weeks before I felt comfortable doing more than just walking normally. I think the most difficult part for me has been making sure that my knee is strong enough when it comes time to wakeboard/snowboard/skate. Until about 5 or 6 months after surgery, your knee will lose any muscle that it has built up by physical activity extremely quick, to the point that if you stay off of it for a week or two and try to get back on your wakeboard, it will feel weak and limit you. My advice would be once you feel ready to wakeboard again, make sure to keep your knee in shape if you have any periods of down time. Even running on an elliptical machine or something of the like for 30 minutes every couple days will make sure your knee feels strong enough when it comes time to ride.

It also should be noted that my experiences with the surgery have been when I was 21 and 22 years old. Hope this helps. Get well soon!
Old     (richnnorcal)      Join Date: Mar 2008       01-27-2016, 1:13 PM Reply   
Bill, I've also had 3 meniscus surgeries just like Preston, however I'm 51 and still like to do it all and still can! I recommend going to PT and the gym after the surgery. It'll help build the muscles to protect your knee, it'll also help with flexibility, which without could easily tear again.... just my two cents. Good luck!
Old     (bill)      Join Date: Feb 2001       01-27-2016, 2:38 PM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by Preston View Post
I've had 3 meniscus surgeries, 2 on the left, 1 on the right.

First one (2004, left knee), clean bucket tear. They attempted to repair the tear with sutures. With the repair I was required to stay off it for 4 weeks and use crutches. After the 4 weeks I did a couple weeks of physical therapy and then I was good to go. Unfortunately about 6 months later I popped the sutures and was back to square one.

Second one (2011, right knee), multiple tears on the meniscus, ACL sprain, and tibial plateau bone contusion. Was about 3 weeks after injury until i had surgery. They just did a clean up on the meniscus. I walked out of the surgery center, took it easy for a couple days and was good to go. No real down time after surgery. The first 2 weeks after the injury were worse than after the surgery.

Third one (left knee), I was just having more pain than usual from after popping the sutures back in 2005. Went in just for a clean up. They trimmed all the damaged meniscus, I walked out, took it easy for a few days, was back on the wakeboard 2 weeks later.

If they are just cleaning up the meniscus, you shouldn't have to be on crutches and should only have to take it easy for a few days. Lots of ice and a light compression wrap to keep the swelling down. It's a fairly easy recovery.

Good luck!
Preston don't you have the MB I road on down at Bethy in October? I believe it was your boat that did the damage LOL Ill send you the bill

Thanks I believe it is a similar bucket tear to your first one and the Ortho advised that a straight suture repair could take 3 times as long to recover and 30% plus chance it woudnt take and id have to have it cut out anyway , given my age, active job and hobbys I decided to get it trimmed off and cleaned up..

they make me take crutches out and ill use them a few days just to be sure than start rehab once the glued skin fully takes..

thanks for advice
Old     (bill)      Join Date: Feb 2001       01-27-2016, 2:42 PM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ttime41 View Post
I can't speak much on the cyst aspect of the surgery, but I had my right knee scoped two summers ago and my left knee scoped last summer (both different types of tears, caused by wakeboarding). Like mine, it seems like they are not planning on attempting to repair your meniscus, they will just cut out the torn part that is causing the discomfort. This means that the only thing limiting you will be pain, and not potential for further damage. I was able to walk without my crutches the day after both times, and was able to ride a skateboard again within a week of my first one. It really depends on how much they cut out, as my second time they removed more and it was about two weeks before I felt comfortable doing more than just walking normally. I think the most difficult part for me has been making sure that my knee is strong enough when it comes time to wakeboard/snowboard/skate. Until about 5 or 6 months after surgery, your knee will lose any muscle that it has built up by physical activity extremely quick, to the point that if you stay off of it for a week or two and try to get back on your wakeboard, it will feel weak and limit you. My advice would be once you feel ready to wakeboard again, make sure to keep your knee in shape if you have any periods of down time. Even running on an elliptical machine or something of the like for 30 minutes every couple days will make sure your knee feels strong enough when it comes time to ride.

It also should be noted that my experiences with the surgery have been when I was 21 and 22 years old. Hope this helps. Get well soon!
thanks for the advice ill definitely rehab it after it heals enough form the surgery, ive got about 4 weeks before ill be Tempted to wakeboard again anyway given its winter and my favorite cables are closed for winter, they open March 1st and im sure boat pulls will be starting up around the same time so 4-5 weeks of rehab should do the trick.. ill start on the in place bike real soon and go from there, they are supposed to give me PT advice on what exercises will get it stronger , quicker.
Old     (Preston)      Join Date: Jul 2010       01-27-2016, 3:43 PM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by bill View Post
Preston don't you have the MB I road on down at Bethy in October? I believe it was your boat that did the damage LOL Ill send you the bill

Thanks I believe it is a similar bucket tear to your first one and the Ortho advised that a straight suture repair could take 3 times as long to recover and 30% plus chance it woudnt take and id have to have it cut out anyway , given my age, active job and hobbys I decided to get it trimmed off and cleaned up..

they make me take crutches out and ill use them a few days just to be sure than start rehab once the glued skin fully takes..

thanks for advice
Yep, that's me.

If they're just cutting it out, rehab/PT really isn't necessary IMO. It really is an easy surgery/recovery.
Old     (bill)      Join Date: Feb 2001       01-27-2016, 3:58 PM Reply   
Haha Preston Im not sure exactly when I hurt it was most likely that weekend but I should have listened to you when you told me a few times I should move out rope at least 5 ft , I believe all those crashing out in the flat landings is what did it than riding more that weekend and again the next week is when I really started feeling the pain.

It never healed so I decided to get the MRI/CT and decided to get it trimmed ill be ready for spring round up..
Old     (bill)      Join Date: Feb 2001       01-29-2016, 3:52 PM Reply   
Ughh! The ortho doc decided on his own while he was under that my meniscus was in way too good of shape to just hack off. So he put two sutures in it one horizontal one vertical , so it took way longer and now my recovery will be 3 times as long but long term he believes I'll have a lot better long term life in my knee. Oh well plan b planning for work and play will have to be done after I feel better in a few days.

So now what's the real recovery times?
Old     (Preston)      Join Date: Jul 2010       01-29-2016, 8:53 PM Reply   
That's what happened with my first surgery, and I already told you what happened 6 months later.

Plan on 4 weeks on crutches and 2-3 weeks PT.
Old     (bill)      Join Date: Feb 2001       01-30-2016, 6:47 AM Reply   
Ughh patience is not my virtue.
Old     (greg2)      Join Date: May 2002       01-31-2016, 4:31 PM Reply   
I'm 48 now and in Nov of '14 I had my right knee scoped for the third time, but this time the recovery was much worse and slower. Not smart, but I was deer hunting from a climbing tree stand 10 days later. It was tough getting in and out of the woods and actually got worse. I arrowed two deer that morning and really didn't think about getting them out of the woods before letting the arrows fly, but got it done. Then had my left knee done the first week on Jan '15. So I was recovering one year ago and managed to still get on the water in Dec '14 and Jan '15. The difference is I was on a Sky Ski...get a a hydrofoil and don't look back!
Old     (bill)      Join Date: Feb 2001       02-01-2016, 9:38 AM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by greg2 View Post
I'm 48 now and in Nov of '14 I had my right knee scoped for the third time, but this time the recovery was much worse and slower. Not smart, but I was deer hunting from a climbing tree stand 10 days later. It was tough getting in and out of the woods and actually got worse. I arrowed two deer that morning and really didn't think about getting them out of the woods before letting the arrows fly, but got it done. Then had my left knee done the first week on Jan '15. So I was recovering one year ago and managed to still get on the water in Dec '14 and Jan '15. The difference is I was on a Sky Ski...get a a hydrofoil and don't look back!
greg nice insight and im sure one day ill try the ski as a few of my old wakeboard acquaintance's do the ski fulltime now HOWEVER ive been wakeboarding since 1996 and its still a passion, not ready to give it up quite yet..

as soon as im walking without a limp and get some approval from the PT rehab people , ill try to get out behind a boat and surf a little, maybe light cable work and go from there.. im already walking without crutches, if you call it walking but each day since Friday iv been able to bend the knee a bit more each day and can put weight on it.. Ill be setting a follow-up with the doc and the PT people this week to see what they recommend to start getting more range of motion without tearing internal stitches. Its my right knee so it sucks they don't recommend driving yet but work duties call so im hoping I can try and drive by mid week, TRY LOL
Old     (tn_rider)      Join Date: Dec 2009       02-06-2016, 7:58 PM Reply   
Blew mine up last year.

I still have a slight pain when squatting down but other than that I feel like I can do everything I could before. It took me 10 months to recover because it got infected. Was a bad deal. Don't wait to go to the hospital like I did if you think it's getting infected.
Old     (DocPhil)      Join Date: Aug 2015       02-07-2016, 1:12 PM Reply   
Bill, how old are you?

Was it a traumatic tear?

Have you done PT yet?
Old     (bill)      Join Date: Feb 2001       02-12-2016, 7:03 AM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by DocPhil View Post
Bill, how old are you?

Was it a traumatic tear?

Have you done PT yet?
i believe it was a bucket handle tear, im 46 , and I went to one PT session and been doing the pt off a exercise chart they gave me at home.. I am walking without much of a limp and no crutches, driving, and did a follow-up with the surgeon yesterday 12 days after surgery.

so far so good, the repaired knee is looking more and more like the other knee as the swelling is nearly gone and no set backs. I still use the ice machine 3 times a day after any activity and don't take the pain meds and barely take the naproxen or tramadol I have either, so im feeling im on or ahead of schedule but cant start any real exercise for another few weeks after that doc said I can swim , stationary bike and slowly work toward full activity BUT HE STILL DOESNT RECCOMENT RUNNING UNTIL 4 MONTHS AND WAKEBOARDING AT 6MONTHS BUT NOT SURE ILL USE COMMON SENSE IF I DO THEM EARLY....
Old     (ATB0713)      Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: Massachusetts       02-12-2016, 7:27 AM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by bill View Post
i believe it was a bucket handle tear, im 46 , and I went to one PT session and been doing the pt off a exercise chart they gave me at home.. I am walking without much of a limp and no crutches, driving, and did a follow-up with the surgeon yesterday 12 days after surgery.

so far so good, the repaired knee is looking more and more like the other knee as the swelling is nearly gone and no set backs. I still use the ice machine 3 times a day after any activity and don't take the pain meds and barely take the naproxen or tramadol I have either, so im feeling im on or ahead of schedule but cant start any real exercise for another few weeks after that doc said I can swim , stationary bike and slowly work toward full activity BUT HE STILL DOESNT RECCOMENT RUNNING UNTIL 4 MONTHS AND WAKEBOARDING AT 6MONTHS BUT NOT SURE ILL USE COMMON SENSE IF I DO THEM EARLY....
Bill,

I have had 2 meniscus tears, and 2 surgeries. The first when i was 18....and the next when i was 19. I'm 25 now. The reason they were so close together is because i was an idiot and decided i was "fine" after 3 months and went body surfing at the beach, wakeboarding, skateboarding, etc...and then next thing i know i'm back at the pre-op room 1 year later. DO NOT GO BACK TO WAKEBOARDING UNTIL AT LEAST 6 MONTHS. Even at the 6 month mark, i would not recommend getting back on your board. Take it easy man. Unless your getting paid to wakeboard it is SO not worth it to jump back in the water and shred. Spend time away from wakeboarding to recover, get strong, chill, and then hop back on the board and ride when you're feeling "strong" and not just "fine".

I just had my labrum repaired in my shoulder and i plan on wake surfing throughout most of the summer months and almost forget wakeboarding for a little while.

We differ in age, but, i would hate to see you have to go through another meniscus tear within a year from your previous one like I did. I hope this helps.

Best,
Alex Brennan
Old     (bill)      Join Date: Feb 2001       02-12-2016, 7:40 AM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by ATB0713 View Post
Bill,

I have had 2 meniscus tears, and 2 surgeries. The first when i was 18....and the next when i was 19. I'm 25 now. The reason they were so close together is because i was an idiot and decided i was "fine" after 3 months and went body surfing at the beach, wakeboarding, skateboarding, etc...and then next thing i know i'm back at the pre-op room 1 year later. DO NOT GO BACK TO WAKEBOARDING UNTIL AT LEAST 6 MONTHS. Even at the 6 month mark, i would not recommend getting back on your board. Take it easy man. Unless your getting paid to wakeboard it is SO not worth it to jump back in the water and shred. Spend time away from wakeboarding to recover, get strong, chill, and then hop back on the board and ride when you're feeling "strong" and not just "fine".

I just had my labrum repaired in my shoulder and i plan on wake surfing throughout most of the summer months and almost forget wakeboarding for a little while.

We differ in age, but, i would hate to see you have to go through another meniscus tear within a year from your previous one like I did. I hope this helps.

Best,
Alex Brennan
THX MAN IM going to need to keep hearing this before it sinks all the way in, ive already been off a board 3-4 months which is a long long time for me , went into surgery with the doc telling me hes simply trimming the meniscus and 4 -6 weeks ill be back at it full time, wake up and he decided to fix it instead ill be 4-6 months off it..it was a shock and long term it MIGHT be best but I heard a lot of these repairs fail and its not waiting its simply tough to keep a suture on a fragile piece of padding like this and that's why at my age its typically trimmed or removed, NOT repaired. Surgeon said that a good part of the crucial area was still intact and the rest was in way too good of shape to NOT TRY and repair..hmmm..

I guess ill need to learn to Surf, Ski SKI, and another lower impact sport to bridge the gap on wakeboard loss.

BTW I believe ill need a similar shoulder repair ive been putting off , I hurt it 3 years ago snowboarding and its been strong enough to avoid surgery but I can tell something might need to be done in the near future.
Old     (bill)      Join Date: Feb 2001       02-12-2016, 7:43 AM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by Preston View Post
I've had 3 meniscus surgeries, 2 on the left, 1 on the right.

First one (2004, left knee), clean bucket tear. They attempted to repair the tear with sutures. With the repair I was required to stay off it for 4 weeks and use crutches. After the 4 weeks I did a couple weeks of physical therapy and then I was good to go. Unfortunately about 6 months later I popped the sutures and was back to square one.

Second one (2011, right knee), multiple tears on the meniscus, ACL sprain, and tibial plateau bone contusion. Was about 3 weeks after injury until i had surgery. They just did a clean up on the meniscus. I walked out of the surgery center, took it easy for a couple days and was good to go. No real down time after surgery. The first 2 weeks after the injury were worse than after the surgery.

Third one (left knee), I was just having more pain than usual from after popping the sutures back in 2005. Went in just for a clean up. They trimmed all the damaged meniscus, I walked out, took it easy for a few days, was back on the wakeboard 2 weeks later.

If they are just cleaning up the meniscus, you shouldn't have to be on crutches and should only have to take it easy for a few days. Lots of ice and a light compression wrap to keep the swelling down. It's a fairly easy recovery.

Good luck!
so how do you and other know you popped your sutures? do you know right away or does the knee simply not feel right again a few days later?
Old     (Preston)      Join Date: Jul 2010       02-12-2016, 7:44 AM Reply   
I felt it pop, it hurt and it swelled up.
Old     (ATB0713)      Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: Massachusetts       02-12-2016, 9:17 AM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by bill View Post
THX MAN IM going to need to keep hearing this before it sinks all the way in, ive already been off a board 3-4 months which is a long long time for me , went into surgery with the doc telling me hes simply trimming the meniscus and 4 -6 weeks ill be back at it full time, wake up and he decided to fix it instead ill be 4-6 months off it..it was a shock and long term it MIGHT be best but I heard a lot of these repairs fail and its not waiting its simply tough to keep a suture on a fragile piece of padding like this and that's why at my age its typically trimmed or removed, NOT repaired. Surgeon said that a good part of the crucial area was still intact and the rest was in way too good of shape to NOT TRY and repair..hmmm..

I guess ill need to learn to Surf, Ski SKI, and another lower impact sport to bridge the gap on wakeboard loss.

BTW I believe ill need a similar shoulder repair ive been putting off , I hurt it 3 years ago snowboarding and its been strong enough to avoid surgery but I can tell something might need to be done in the near future.

You got this man!! listen to pink floyd, jack johnson, or something to calm down the nerves from riding. its worth the wait!
Old     (flintwake)      Join Date: Mar 2013       04-15-2016, 5:34 PM Reply   
Hey bud I'm a PT and one thing that helps more than people think is easy controlled trampoline bouncing once you're PT says you're able. You can bounce on a mini tramp for 3 mins at a time or until you get tired then stop immediately when your form falls apart. As it gets easy you can practice 180s holding a handle. I would definitely surf a few weeks before I tried wakeboarding and even then I'd ride short rope at 18 mph. Try outside-in and inside-put before you go wake to wake. I'm talking little jumps not 6 ft of air and casing the other wake. Keep in mind you've got years left to wakeboard one summer to get back into it won't hurt you. You probably have well over 5k of your own money plus insurance tied into this. Don't screw it up to say "I wakeboarded faster than they said I would" definitely go to PT. you've probably already gotten full ROM but if you haven't get on a bike everyday until you do. Keep your calf stretched and you hammy. Lunges on each side are great too. If you can't do a lunge you shouldn't be riding for sure. Single leg squats and single leg heel taps off a step are great once you are far enough along.
In box me if u have any particular questions. I don't check this a lot

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