Pete’s knee operation Blog – 24 hours post op.

Well as I’m recovering from my surgery I thought I may as well blog a bit about it for anyone interested enough or for anyone about to have a similar operation. I’ve written a separate blog here about the knee issues I’ve had in the run up to surgery.

So 24 hours after surgery. This is what’s gone on.

Operation – Medial meniscal repair

Weight bearing status – Partial weight bearing with 2 elbow crutches for 2 weeks

Restrictions in place – Flexion 0-90 degrees only for 6 weeks and no loaded flexion beyond 90 degrees for 12 weeks.

First things first, the procedure went well, no complications. Prior to the surgery I had a good discussion with my surgeon Jonathan Webb. I wanted to know what the plan was once he got in there and what his criteria were for repair vs trimming and removing the damaged meniscus. Clearly preserving the meniscus was the better long term choice if a repair was possible and we agreed that if a solid repair looked good to proceed with that. In the end I had a medial meniscal repair of the posterior root. Fortunately the joint surfaces on the inside of my knee were well preserved as too were the patella femoral joint. The lateral meniscus wasn’t as bad as the scan had indicated and was left alone. The lateral compartment however did have evidence of grade 3 osteoarthritis although reassuringly Jonathan informed me that it looked historic damage rather than recent.

So 24 hours on and the compression dressing is off. Arrow still visible! Glad to report minimal swelling or pain at this stage.

Goals for the first 2 weeks are to keep the swelling at bay. Keep pain on top of any pain. Restore range of movement from 0-90 degrees. Normalise my walking pattern and wean off the crutches by 2 weeks. Maintain muscle strength in the legs. Compex and cryocuff at the ready.

Right now I’m feeling optimistic. Hopefully you’ll find my progress updates interesting and informative. Please get in touch if you have any questions. Pete

Pete