Arthroscopic knee surgery

I'm having my Left knee scoped tomorrow for a tear in the meniscus.

I'm a right-handed golfer.  Wanted to have it done sooner, but things never go fast when it comes to insurance.  Living in Wisconsin, perfect golfing weather is a ways off yet.

I'm 55 years old, in decent shape, except for arthritis in my Right knee.

My question is this.  For those of you that have had this done, how soon were you swinging a club?  The Doc says "As soon as you feel like it".  Been reading various sources that say anywhere from 1 week to 6 weeks to 6 months.

Thanks in advance.

WindLaker

Listen to Doc. As long as he clears you to play, it's up to you when you feel confident enough to play. The nature of that injury is that there's a wide array of severities. It's not like a broken bone where it's either broken or not. A slight tear in a meniscus can be very minor vs. a more serious tear. It's honestly that simple. I became an expert on knee injuries in high school when I had a partial ACL/meniscus tear and a friend of mine snapped his ACL entirely soon afterward.

If you want to know when I was well enough to swing a club it was 6 months. But that was 20 years ago and I was in a brace for 4 months. Medicine has come a long way.

Good luck with the surgery, I am sure you will come out of it well and ready to rehab! Meniscus injuries are all different and depends on the location of the injury and what need to be cleaned or repaired in determining rehab prognosis. Typically, there is some restriction in weight bearing for 1-4 weeks (again depends on surgery and what was done). Meniscus having very poor blood supply which slows down healing and leaves the area at risk for further injury if activity/stress is impose to early. Likely you will,have some PT following your surgery and they will know how to safely progress your activity. Once weight bearing is full, putting is usually were people would begin since minimal rotation is required (rotation is the main reason causing meniscal injuries). it would be safe to say anywhere from 6-8 weeks before swinging a full club safely. Follow your PT and MD and you will be back out quickly and safely for this season. Thanks and keeping swinging!

Surgery went well...lasted all of 20 minutes. I was out of the surgical center 3 1/2 hours after I arrived. Laying on the couch watching the Masters right now. No pain in the knee, just tightness. No crutches required, only if I feel I need them. No weight restrictions. Doc told me I cannot damage the knee by walking, or swinging a club. He said it may hurt, but I can swing when I want. I was told to keep my knee above my heart as much as I can today. I should walk a little to keep things loose, but then raise the knee afterward to prevent swelling. I'll keep you informed as my progress goes.

Here's a good yoga inversion for you.  Get a mat or clean small rug and put it up next to a wall, that is more or less without lots of stuff hanging off it, like photos, etc.  Wear loose clothing, no shoe or socks and lie on mat with legs up wall, no pillow.  Position your butt as near to wall as possible. Now your body forms a 90* angle with legs up and heart down.  Don't fret if not 90*, do as you are able. Since this will be a new experience, probably, there will be 'rejection' going on  in the body and mind.  Resist the rejection and just keep calm, breathing normal.  Stay there for 3 minutes. Done.

Do it again tomorrow.

Joekelly,

I've added your yoga to my exercise routine provided by the Doc.  He has one similar, but I've added yours anyway.

The rehab is going well.  Using a cane @ work (I do a l ot of walking), but around the house walking without assistance.  No Meniscus pain, very little surgical pain.  Have taken no Narcotics or even Advil since Sunday AM.  Very little swelling, but then again I spent almost all weekend watching The Masters with my leg up and ice on the knee.

Have not swung a club yet.  Asked the Doc about it the day of the surgery.  He said I cannot damage anything by swinging, but it may hurt.  Maybe this weekend I'll take some easy swings in the yard and see how it feels.

WindLaker

Went out and did some easy swinging yesterday.  Only took my wedge and my putter to the range.

Chipped around the practice green for about 30 minutes, putted for another 30.  Then to the medium bucket and took full swings (with the wedge).

No pain while shooting.  Felt a little achey after a couple of hours, but no pain.

Had the surgery on Friday the 10th.  Happy with my progress.  Still doing the exercised the Doc (and joekelly) gave me.  Going to the gym after work tonight for the 1st time.

All seems to be going great.

WindLaker

Went again to the driving range yesterday.  Got a large bucket of balls.

Chipped & putted for about 45 minutes, then hit the whole bucket.  No knee pain whatsoever.

Only one downside to my surgery....

The Doc mentioned that the arthritis pain may change because of the surgery...could get better or worse...different side effects for different patients.  The arthritis pain in my Left Knee (the one with the surgery) has been increasing as time goes on.  It's pretty painful right now to walk due to the Arthritis.  The Meniscus pain is completely gone.

I go for a followup appointment in a couple of weeks.  At that time (if this pain stays as is) I'm going to ask for a cortisone shot.  I know this isn't a "Magic Bullet", but I don't want any more surgery until after Golf and Hunting season.

I've come to the conclusion that I'll be taking a cart this year, unless something drastic happens.  But at least I'm golfing.

WindLaker

Don't do cortisone!! It's so bad for you! It's masking the pain so you could reinjure yourself and not even know it. I have tried a couple products for knee pain (torn acl, lcl, mcl and meniscus) - it was a bad skiing accident, and this product has helped me tremendously! Even if you don't buy it, give the page a read, it has a lot of useful information on healing times etc. on there. If links aren't allowed I'm sorry....

http://www.kingbrand.com/Knee-Home.php?REF=75PV129

Played my first 9 holes last night since the surgery.  Shot a 48...around my average, so I wasn't too upset.  Great getting out again.

No surgical pain at all.

The arthritis pain was getting bad the last two holes (we took a cart), but I don't feel it affected my game.  I had my long drive of the day (and a MISSED Birdie putt...AAARGH!) on the 9th hole.

All in all, I'd things are great regarding the surgery, so-so with the side effects (increased Arthritis pain).

Played my first 18 holes (actually 21 holes) Friday night since my April 10 surgery.  Things went well.  After the 3 Sudden Death playoff holes, I was feeling OK.  Especially since I beat my brother!

The Meniscus pain is 100% gone.  The Arthritis pain is killing me.  I was told it was a possible side effect...I guess I got a winning ticket on that front.

We took a cart. I cannot see myself walking even 9 holes, based on how my knee feels now.

After the round, it was a little achey.  Had a big Margarita, but my knee up with some ice on it, and all was right with the world.

Woke up Saturday, feeling no worse for the wear.

I have been golfing for years knee and shoulder pain have always been two of my biggest obstacles to having a good time when I'm out on the course. I have been using a product called triheat both before and after I play which has helped tremendously. I also warm up longer to further help my injuries from acting up.

Arthritis pain: Here is one off the wall thought. I had my knee scoped twice , 5 yrs apart ( painful multi-month recoveries, etc.). 6 yrs after second surgery, Dr recommended a 3rd surgery. I informed him " arthroscopic surgery is ineffective in 19 of 20 cases " ( yes, 95% failure rate !) His response was " hey, I'm a surgeon, I will always suggest surgery." This from a Dr to NFL football and NHL hockey players. Learning #1: get opinions from non surgeons!!! Strongly recommend a good D.O. Who practices osteopathic manipulation. Hard to find but worth it. Good luck!

Suggestion #2: You might explore a gluten free diet. Apparently approx ~30% + of U.S. population has an intolerance to genetically modified wheat. This causes a series of health effects, one of which is inflammation and swelling. I Tried gluten free for a few days and POW! Years of knee aches just disappeared. Fingers felt lighter, more flexible. Golf trip and movements got better. I felt mentally sharper and just "better." Exactly same for my sister (40 yrs old) and two of my golf buddies ( 50 ish.) we were all amazed that we had been living this long and not realized the negative impact of gen. mod. gluten. Might be worth 3 day trial. Be well.