Thus, the entire weight of the body is transmitted through the femur into the cartilage of the knee. Dr. Burnham made sure I knew what was happening and what could happen. with time whether there is healing or not. The posterior roots are the most important as this is where a root tear occurs most commonly. Request Case Review or Office Consultation, Lateral Patellotibial Ligament Reconstruction, Anatomic Analysis of the Posterior Root Attachments of the Menisci, Posterior Root Avulsion Fracture of the Medial Meniscus, Not Your Fathers (or Mothers) Meniscus Surgery, Anterior Intermeniscal Ligament of the Knee An Anatomical Study, Popliteomeniscal Fascial Tears Causing Symptomatic Lateral Compartment Knee Pain, Prospective Outcomes Study of Meniscal Allograft Transplantation. As surgical techniques are being developed and refined, rehabilitation protocols for meniscal root repairs must be defined and tested. I put a knee brace on and made it through class, but by the time I drove home I could barely bend my knee. PT or exercise can be useful BUT take note of these the BoneSmart view on exercise BoneSmart philosophy for sensible post op therapy 5. I got a lift home, and returned to the gym later that evening for more coaching. This hoop stress is resisted by fibers that run circumferentially through the meniscus. 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. HealthTap uses cookies to enhance your site experience and for analytics and advertising purposes. A meniscus root tear usually will not heal on its own. Dr. Robert F. LaPrade operated on my right knee in May of 2010. I could not bear weight on my right side though I tried repeatedly, but finally I went and got an MRI and one of the orthopedic surgeons that I worked with was shocked when he saw the MRI result. Previous attempts to make it better provided only temporary relief. The most common method to fix meniscus root tears is through a tibial bone tunnel. The length of time until patients are able to return to driving varies . MENISCAL ROOT REPAIR POST-OPERATIVE ORDERS . An iatrogenic meniscus root tear means that a tunnel was drilled for an ACL or PCL reconstruction and hit the meniscus root and detached it from bone. The most common complication after a meniscus root repair is a re-tear. Walk with crutches. Hence, that remaining meniscus is more and not less likely to tear again. This may be recommended depending on the type of meniscus tear. Heel lift in opposite shoe to normalize gait. The exception is a patient that has contra-indications to surgery or already has too much cartilage wear and tear for the root repair to be beneficial. Patients often report hearing a pop at the time of injury. 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. Thank you Dr. Burnham and Jerrica for everything! These are totally different. It can be very difficult to interpret an MRI after a meniscus root repair. Further study into meniscus root tears and radial root tears is ongoing by our research laboratory to try to improve the treatment of these complex problems. #JimmyWinkfield is 1 of 5 men to win the prestigious twitter.com/i/web/status/1, What are #loosebodies in the #hip? Among them, 32.60% demonstrated incomplete healing, loosening of the construct, or excessive scar tissues formation. At the beginning of April, I was dancing at a friends wedding when I suddenly heard and felt a loud pop in my left knee. Arner, J.W., Herbst, E.. Meniscal Root Repair Article. The second step is to prepare a bony bed where the meniscus repair will be performed. Video chat with a U.S. board-certified doctor 24/7 in less than one minute for common issues such as: colds and coughs, stomach symptoms, bladder infections, rashes, and more. The surgery performed was a knee partial meniscectomy, a common surgical procedure used to repair a torn meniscus. I am 5-months post surgery, and am doing great, stationary biking and exercising every day, no pain.You know you are seeing the best when you find out he has written over 500 medical journal articles - among many other accomplishments. Therefore, one should attempt a meniscus root repair whenever possible in most patients up to age 70. His interaction with me around my surgery calmed me, and his excellent work in the operating room speaks for itself. endobj 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. Deconditioning of ones quadriceps muscles can also cause similar symptoms, so it is important to determine if one has any atrophy of their thigh muscles, usually measured as the thigh circumference 15 cm above the patella and compared to the opposite leg. After a meniscus root repair, there is a prolonged period of non-weightbearing and restricted range of motion to allow proper healing. Everyone I was in contact with, from support staff to Dr. Burnham, was kind, friendly, competent, and generous with time and information. In particular, these younger patients have to look at a meniscus root repair as soon as possible to ensure that they dont develop arthritis. Meniscus Root Repair & Recovery | Emily Socolinsky - Starting Strength Many surgeons will tie the meniscus root repair with the knee bent, so that one can start motion right after surgery and not have to worry about the meniscus root repair being stretched out. Everyone made us feel comfortable, and they were all polite and professional. Oct 24, 2020. The biggest mistake that people make after having a meniscus surgery is theyre doing too much way too soon. Conservative treatment methods are typically reserved for patients who would not recover well with surgery (i.e. But typically physical therapy goes two to three months you get 80% better and a lot of times people have the expectation setting themselves that they can get back to everything that theyre doing before and thats just not the case they can do a lot of things now that they couldnt before the surgery typically. Single leg deadlifts on the good leg, reverse hypers, and dumbbell bench. My daughter injured her ankle in cross country practice and we were able to get in the next day to see Dr. Burnham. Should a meniscus tear repair surgery be hurting 7 weeks post-operation? I was told it would be about 6 weeks, but my instructions are to wear a brace at full extension for the duration of this time. Two days after my surgery, Diego took me to my first PT session. I have two good arms, and a good leg. That means that the remaining meniscus is smaller, but still taking the same pressure. A meniscus root tear occurs when one or both of these roots tear away from the bone. Oftentimes healthcare providers will tell you go walk your knees operated on its good youre the we took out the chunk that was you know causing your need to lock up the meniscus we did a meniscectomy or we repaired the meniscus and its all sewn together now so you can go ahead and walk all you want and some people take that to heart and to go walk you know three miles a day or even 10-20 miles a week and their meniscus just doesnt heal enough and they get that swelling. 1-2 Days After Surgery: Hospitalization for meniscus surgery is typically short. 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. Many patients who do have a meniscus root tear note that they feel a pop in the back of the knee when they are doing squatting activities, such as cleaning floors, gardening, placing down carpet or plumbing. Patients are allowed to walk 4-6 weeks after surgery. When the meniscus root becomes detached, the meniscus can extrude out of the joint and lead to effectively having no functional meniscus. Meniscus Root Repair Northeast Philadelphia, PA | Meniscal Root Tears PDF Knee Arthroscopy Meniscus Root Surgery FAQ - Twin Cities Orthopedics There are two ways to initiate a consultation with Dr. LaPrade: You can providecurrentX-rays and/or MRIs for a clinical case review with Dr. LaPrade. I was cleared from physical therapy on May 16, 2019, about three months after my surgery, and after only six PT sessions. And cartilage is one of the slowest healing tissues in the body. I was training one afternoon, and I noticed some swelling, not too much, but enough for me to start keeping an eye on it. Many surgeons will tie the meniscus root repair with the knee bent, so that one can start motion right after surgery and not have to worry about the meniscus root repair being stretched out. HSS Sports Medicine Institute West Side It has been found that one suture alone for the repair does not work well, so a minimum of 2 sutures is required to maximize meniscal healing. But the next day, I woke up and literally ran down my stairs. A week later, I got my MRI results and I was told that this was going to be a very long recovery, but I had other plans. PDF Meniscal Root Repair Post-operative Rehabilitation Protocol If your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again. 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 did a few jungle gym rows, and finished with planks. The next portion of the Smith & Nephew root repair device is a mini First-Pass device. It is shaped like a C and it serves to cushion and stabilize the knee. What made my recovery so fast? Of patients treated with medial meniscal posterior root repair, 62.43% demonstrated complete healing on follow-up magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or second-look arthroscopy. Weight bearing as tolerated after 6 weeks. Factors Affecting Meniscus Tear Healing and Prognosis AOSSM Lecture from Jeremy Burnham, Ochsner-Andrews Sports Medicine Institute, Copyright 2022Jeremy Burnham, M.D. 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. Many tears have better outcomes if they are treated early. Meniscus repair is usually done with arthroscopic surgery. 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. He diagnosed the problem quickly and accurately. What to do if I have a radial meniscus tear, what's the chance of it fully healing with surgery? Eagan, MN 55121, I struggled with my knee for 18 months - having gone from 10,000 steps a day to only walking as needed. If there is tissue there, it usually means that the meniscus root repair has healed down to bone. We validated that the 2 simple suture technique had the least amount of loosening over time, but the other techniques were stronger. Dr. Jeremy Burnham did a reconstruction of my ACL on April 19th. And I feel my rode to recovery will be wonderful. And then after the surgery, the focus is doing physical therapy, typically if he gets sent there, and youre going to lose some motion in the surgery so your knee wont be able to bend or straighten all the way. Treating a Meniscus Tear With Physical Therapy - Verywell Health Dr Garcia demonstrates his new meniscal extrusion technique - YouTube There are two menisci in the knee, medial and lateral. One of the main portions of the system is a guide that can be placed inside the joint that fits around the tibial eminences and allows the surgeon to place the tip of the guide right at the area that has been decorticated of bone, where one wants to perform the root repair tunnel. Full recovery usually takes 6 months but can take up to 1 year. His step by step explanation of surgery expectations before and after the procedure was specific, thorough, and answered all of my questions. This is done to protect the repair and let the body heal it. Other factors can also be present with extrusion, including the progression of arthritis which can cause a well-done meniscus repair to extrude outside the joint. Why would I? The first 6 weeks are a strict protection phase and the patient is non-weight bearing. I highly recommend him. But you need to still continue doing a few things to make sure that you get that remaining 20% healed so that you can truly get back to normal so let me give you some practical advice here three things that i want you to take away from this video number one set your expectations. Please note, we cannot prescribe controlled substances, diet pills, antipsychotics, or other commonly abused medications. My experience with Dr. Burnham and his staff was exceptional. I have been walking and training normally for the past four and a half months. Meniscus root repair surgeon, Doctor Benedict Nwachukwu provides diagnosis as well as surgical and nonsurgical treatment options for patients in Manhattan, New York City, NY who need meniscus root repair surgery. Dr Jeremy Burnham has a great way of interacting with his patients. Towards the middle of March, I was finally given wall slides (mini squats) and step ups for the left leg by my physical therapist.