Masters runner first meniscus surgery but

dmille2
dmille2 Posts: 208 Member
in Motivation and Support
Worried how to get through the down recovery time without packing on the lbs! Who has been through this? Please let me know!:)

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  • surfbug808
    surfbug808 Posts: 251 Member
    I've had two meniscus surgeries. Your surgeon may or may not suggest you bear weight immediately, depending on your tolerance. But, find a GOOD physiotherapist. I've had different PTs, and the best ones encouraged me to exercise to prevent muscle atrophy and maintain flexibility, as well as focus on particular muscle groups to make up for weakness caused by the tears (I also completely lost my ACL). This included cycling and swimming, which are low impact on the joint yet still allow for cardio, daily stretching, hamstring and quad strengthening exercises on machines (some make it worse so ask for which movements are best), minute muscle balancing (e.g. treated leg standing single on bosu ball while drawing the alphabet with the other in the air) etc. My treated leg actually became stronger and more muscular than the leg without the surgery! And you can keep your cardio up. Also, I walked on crutches to and from the PT office, and that was a work-out too for my upper body. If you are sedentary during recovery, you might just need to keep your calories low I guess, if you are expending less energy anyway.

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