Follow-up treatment after meniscus surgery | Surgical options for meniscus tears

Follow-up treatment after meniscus surgery

After partial meniscus removal as well as after the insertion of stitches, a thorough follow-up treatment should be initiated quickly. Immediately after the meniscus operation, partial weight bearing of the affected knee on forearm crutches is recommended. However, the load on the knee joint should not exceed 15 to 20 kilograms for a period of four to seven days.

Afterwards, the follow-up treatment can be continued with a dosed increase in load. In this context, it is important to note that pain that occurs during the loading phase should lead to a reduction in the load. This also applies if pronounced swelling develops in the area of the affected knee after meniscus surgery.

Since the venous system is put under great strain by the temporary immobilization and therefore blood clots can form, regular thrombosis prophylaxis is part of the normal follow-up treatment after meniscus surgery. In addition, decongestant measures should be taken immediately after the meniscus operation. Above all, cooling the affected knee (four to five times a day for 10 minutes), taking decongestant medication and targeted lymphatic drainage can optimally supplement the follow-up treatment.

After a meniscus operation with meniscus refixation, the post-operative treatment is generally carried out with a splint therapy (orthosis). The operated knee joint must be immobilized with a so-called positioning splint over a period of about one week. Subsequently, the post-operative treatment is continued with a functional splint, which limits the range of movement of the knee joint.

In this procedure of meniscus surgery, the maximum load should not exceed 15 to 20 kilograms for at least 3 weeks. The functional splint is usually worn for a total of 6 weeks. In addition, the follow-up treatment must be supplemented by special physiotherapy without load. From the 7th week after the actual meniscus operation, training can be started. However, even with this surgical procedure, the load must be reduced again if severe pain or swelling occurs.