losing weight with a meniscus tear

Schollin04

what kind of workouts can I do?

keithwp99

Welp, pretty limited, IMO. Have you seen an ortho? are you going to get it fixed or just deal with it?

Went thru tear surgery a couple years back. Took some time to rehab but worked thru basic just walking, elliptical, swimming and back to running and strength training with free weights.

amy19355

youtube has a lot of videos with seated exercises that focus on upper body.

bikecheryl

Are you looking for exercises just to try to keep as fit as you can while you recover or for losing weight as your title suggests?

Cause you don't have to exercise to lose weight.......... be diligent in your weighing and logging and stick to your calorie goal.

You don't have the cushion of "exercise calories" but it is doable.

CarvedTones

The doc didn't fix my tears. He actually made them slightly wider and beveled the edges so they don't overlap with movement anymore. I am okay with the lower impact cardio machines. I use the ARCTrainer. It's Nordic inspired but with more burn without impact. Then I do the machines in the circuit training area skipping the leg machines and doing the rest in order without the step platforms.

EDIT - of course the loss of weight came from what I ate. the exercise just made what was left after I lost a lot of fat look pretty good and makes me feel good and want to stay fit. a pinch of vanity helps me keep the weight off.

ANOTHER EDIT - YMMV and it depends on how recently you were diagnosed and what you have done about it. The MRI report should have a report on number and severity and even that isn't always completely accurate. Mine said 2, doc found 3 and a couple of places that were getting worn and would tear if I kept running. My surgery was ~4 years ago. Still hurts when I push it. Like I said, they can't really fix bad tears.

taco_inspector

Schollin04 wrote: »

what kind of workouts can I do?

YouTube (as mentioned) is a good resource for chair work, and your doctor should have provided insight or direction for some kinda physical therapy -- If you're cleared by your doc to work through a few things, There are also PT vids on 'the tube':
https://youtu.be/guuzyIHgGBg

I feel it's relevant to the title of the thread to emphasize that diet will be far more important for weight-loss than any physical activity that you feel that you're now restricted from doing. After all, proper caloric deficit can help you to reduce weight while fully sedentary.

sijomial

There's one hell of a range so your medics should be advising you about your particular injury and rehab needs.

Right knee - minor tear, keyhole surgical tidy up and right as rain within days. No rehab needed and regained almost full function.

Left knee - bucket handle tear, most of meniscus detached and blocked my knee joint, open menisectomy to remove 90% and very prolonged rehab, with a pessimistic long term prognosis of requiring a TKR.

GiddyupTim

I am pretty sure that with a meniscus tear you use pain and catching as your guide.
If your knee catches periodically, and you want that fixed, have the surgery.
Same is true with the pain. If you have lots of swelling and discomfort that limit activities you would like to do, have the surgery.
Otherwise, you just modify your activities a little bit.
There has been this misnomer that the meniscus never heals. But that idea has been challenged. The interior of the meniscus disk has little blood supply and probably does not heal, which is why medial (middle) tears and "bucket handle tears" can be so problematic. Lateral tears, however, probably can and do heal, though it may take many months or more.
As sijomial noted, the arthroscopic surgery for a minor meniscus tear can be quite routine and a younger person can be back at activities in a week or two. Depending, of course.
I tore my ACL and my meniscus a few years back. And, then, as I was still recovering, I tore it again. Much worse. I have a serious click when I go up and down stairs and my knee was swollen for probably six months.
But my pain has improved significantly over time and I do everything I want to -- jog 3xs a week, sprint, play tennis regularly, bike, etc. Course, I am just one individual case. But the activities do not seem to worsened my meniscus or impaired my knee's recovery and healing.

AnnPT77

Your orthopedist and the physical therapy referral s/he provides are your best resources.

I have a torn meniscus and some osteoarthritis. I've chosen to defer surgery as long as possible. My orthopedist said that in my case, I could use pain/tolerance as my guide, and that I wasn't burning any bridges by working out in any way I could tolerate.

For me, impact and torque on the knee are a problem.

I don't run, and I avoid things like aerobic dance, tennis, martial arts, etc., that involve starts/stops, twisting/turning (especially on weighted leg), etc. I've found I can do things with minimal impact that mostly move the knee in a straight-line hinging motion.

Since I was already a rabid rower (on water by preference, machine when I must), I'm happy that rowing still works for me. Bicycling and spinning also work. Swimming would be fine, too, but I hate to swim so I do it only enough to maintain swimming skills needed for rowing safely.

I can walk, and try to do so enough to keep the musculature/joints willing to do several-mile lengths when happy life requires it occasionally (museums, art fairs, day hike in special places, festivals, etc.), but doing lots of volume every day for exercise is a bad plan for me - too much cumulative impact.

Get guidance from your doctor and physical therapist, specific to your condition. If they approve, experiment.