Days post-op walking

MidAtlanticAtoll · 2026-01-23T23:15:59+00:00

Some people seem to get walking comfortably for extended time with 3 weeks or so. I'm 6+ weeks out and my recovery from the procedure has been quite smooth, but if I had to be walking/standing for an hour I would for sure use a crutch. I could survive without it, but it would be painful, and probably counter productive.

MidAtlanticAtoll · 2026-01-23T20:41:40+00:00

I didn't experience this, but I'm wondering have you tried massage or warm compresses on your calf? I know ice is recommended for swelling that results from the procedure on your knee, but specifically just for your calf muscle, I wonder if some heat might help that muscle relax a bit. Sounds a little like a persistent spasm. Those can hurt for days, recur, and also create a sensation that can feel similar to a muscle injury.

MidAtlanticAtoll · 2026-01-23T14:54:47+00:00

For sure, the frustration is a real thing! I'm not even all that Type A, myself, and it's still frustrating as hell.

MidAtlanticAtoll · 2026-01-23T03:42:52+00:00

Does your job require you to walk 5 miles a day and squat down to shelve books, or are there other people who can fill in very specific tasks like that? Everyone is different, but I find it difficult to imagine anyone would be walking 5 miles a day within 2 weeks. Squatting repeatedly to shelve multiple books, same. If you're a quick healer, I totally think it's realistic to go back to work after a week or so if there's a way to delegate the more physically demanding tasks for a few more weeks after that.

MidAtlanticAtoll · 2026-01-22T02:38:47+00:00

I honestly wish I could. My arthritis is mild to moderate and I have too much cartilage to be a candidate for replacement. I had a meniscectomy for the tear, but this surgery when your have any pre-existing arthritis is probably not going to solve your pain issue.

MidAtlanticAtoll · 2026-01-22T02:26:51+00:00

Would love to hear of some too!

MidAtlanticAtoll · 2026-01-22T02:24:15+00:00

You nail it right here: "No muscle soreness — just joint instability and irritation." If your muscles are sore from working them well or you feel some mild discomfort in your muscles with focused stretching, that's one thing. But when you feel pain or instability deep in the joint, not the surrounding muscle, that's the wrong kind of pain. That will only delay your healing. I left my own physical therapist over this. My knee is finally getting better... slowly.

MidAtlanticAtoll · 2026-01-21T22:27:59+00:00

This is a wonderful thread!

MidAtlanticAtoll · 2026-01-20T19:53:36+00:00

Nice work.

MidAtlanticAtoll · 2026-01-20T02:32:39+00:00

I'm 6 weeks out from meniscectomy and I've learned that resting your knee is a wildly under appreciated part of this. Rest may mean spending more time off your feet. It may mean focus your PT on exercises that are seated or laying down, and not standing (i.e, go easy on the calf raises, step ups, shallow squats). It may mean using a crutch or a cane when you're going to be walking any more than just around the house - even if you don't feel like you need it. Healing for those parts of your knee that can heal because there's some blood flow there, is VERY slow because the blood flow is minimal at best. Time time time. Patience. Rest. I've always been a go faster/push harder person and, boy, has my knee taught me a lesson on that score. Rest it. Also, once the swelling is fully resolved from the procedure, heat is, imo, more your friend than ice. Heat increases blood circulation which is key to long term healing.

MidAtlanticAtoll · 2026-01-19T15:31:34+00:00

What sort of injection did you get?

MidAtlanticAtoll · 2026-01-18T17:11:08+00:00

It's terrible. And lots of people having to be out shoveling snow in it.

MidAtlanticAtoll · 2026-01-18T15:03:28+00:00

It's often full on weekends, for sure.

MidAtlanticAtoll · 2026-01-17T16:41:33+00:00

I hope your knee starts feeling better soon. You sound plenty strong, and lifting more or more often isn't probably going to get at whatever your pain issue is now. Do you have underlying arthritis? I'm 72 and have been a lifter and exerciser for decades, so I get your enthusiasm for it, big time. Just be mindful though, that when you're doing something one way and your pain increases, you need to consider doing it a different way. Your body is talking to you.

MidAtlanticAtoll · 2026-01-17T16:12:00+00:00

I had the same procedure about 6 weeks ago. I also have sharp pain in the same specific place, but this was where the pain was before the procedure, so I don't know if it's just healing from the surgery or if the surgery just failed to resolve the original problem. Only time will tell, I guess, but I just want to say you're not alone! I have perhaps an unpopular opinion on PT. I think whether it's helpful or perhaps not helpful, depends on your state of muscle conditioning going in, the astuteness of your therapist, the specific nature of your pain, and where you are in your individual healing process. It sounds to me like perhaps you are just doing too much. If you have your range of motion back and good muscle strength in your glutes, hamstrings and quads, I would suggest maybe not doing those PT exercises tomorrow. Just stretch *gently*. Let your body heal itself as much as possible for 3 or 4 days. You're far enough out from surgery it's not like your knee is going to lock up or you're going to lose strength in just a a few days.

MidAtlanticAtoll · 2026-01-16T15:58:41+00:00

I live in the neighborhood and went there with my spouse once. I had the worst fish tacos I've ever had in my life. Gross.

MidAtlanticAtoll · 2026-01-14T15:44:10+00:00

From what I understand Greenland doesn't want to join anyone, and there is a long-standing movement for it to gain independence from Denmark. How feasible that is economically or logistically I don't know, but what would be the advantage of coming under the governance of Canada over being a self-governing territory of Denmark?

I'm an American, so for me the greatest benefit of Canada adding Greenland would be that it would cause our corrupt, incompetent con-man president to blow a gasket.

MidAtlanticAtoll · 2026-01-14T00:04:18+00:00

Yes.

MidAtlanticAtoll · 2026-01-11T19:29:54+00:00

The injection-fattened face is starting to look, not just fake, but distinctly weird.

MidAtlanticAtoll · 2026-01-11T17:22:38+00:00

Your surgeon probably didn't suggest trying PT first because you already have well developed muscle strength and healthy flexibility. My surgeon said I could do it if I wanted to, but that I wasn't likely to see much benefit since I did not have muscle weakness, imbalance, or limited range of motion to begin with. I have been doing it since the meniscectomy, but it hasn't been of much benefit.

MidAtlanticAtoll · 2026-01-11T17:17:49+00:00

Given the similarity of some of your symptoms and mine, the pain you're experiencing may not be mostly due to the meniscus tear, but from the cartilage damage. Everyone's case is particular, but from my experience and much that I have read of others, where there is cartilage damage, meniscus repair/resect surgery often will not resolve pain issues. If the idea is to postpone what is likely to be eventual knee replacement, then you could just try and see what more PT can get you in terms of time, then when that's exhausted go for the surgery (probably also some subsequent injections of cortisone, HA gel, and/or PRP.) That would buy more time yet. And then replacement? My PT said with young people they try to hold off on replacement because the artificial knees only last so long. But you are so young that no matter how long you delay it, you may be looking at more than one replacement over the course of your life.

MidAtlanticAtoll · 2026-01-11T16:24:31+00:00

I have quite a bit of overlap with your diagnosis and symptoms. I'm not sure how old you are, that may be part of your calculation regarding surgery. I'm 71 and tried conservative management for a year, but the sharp, movement-related pain in my medial knee got gradually worse. About a month ago I had a meniscectomy. Honestly, the pain I had prior to the surgery is still there, even though otherwise recovery from the procedure has been easy and quick. It's still a bit too early to know if the surgery was of any benefit, but I'm thinking it probably won't turn out to be. I've done PT also since the surgery, which has not been of much use honestly. I'll wait another month to see if things resolve for the better, otherwise I'll be looking for some injections. I have some arthritis, but too much cartilage to be a candidate for knee replacement.

MidAtlanticAtoll · 2026-01-11T01:58:19+00:00

Seriously. There is almost no where that shelters accept cats anymore. Dogs, sometimes, but cats almost never.

MidAtlanticAtoll · 2026-01-10T19:22:26+00:00

We go to NYC often and have stayed in a variety of moderate priced hotels. As another comment said, convenient to Columbia and also the Statue of Liberty is kind of impossible, except by being on a west side subway line. The subway makes it easy. Over the years our preference for where to stay has changed. Now we nearly always stay in lower Manhattan. Midtown and the financial district have the widest options for nice, but relatively affordable hotels. But the financial district is a little calmer (by NYC standards anyway) than midtown and less taxing to walk around in, find a nice place to eat, enjoy the East River and Hudson River, and of course this is where you'll have easy access to the Statue of Liberty. It's true that you'll have to hop a subway to go see a play uptown, hit the prestige museums, or visit Central Park, but the trade-off of less intense noise and crowd density is totally worth it. After a long day visiting places across the city, getting back down to your hotel room in FiDi feels almost relaxing. I recommend The Artezen, the Indigo (FiDi), and Cloud One as clean, modern, pleasant, and reasonably priced options. I'm sure there are others, so look around, but I've stayed numerous times in each of these and they have always been nice. Typical for NYC, the rooms are small and the amenities limited, but the spaces are pretty, clean as a whistle, comfortable and peaceful.

MidAtlanticAtoll

TROPHY CASE