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Why You Need Crutches After Meniscus Surgery

Why You Need Crutches After Meniscus Surgery

If only surgical treatment worked so perfectly that the patient would hop off the operating table, cured, with no painful recovery required. For knee surgery, that is not the case.
Today, most surgical procedures on the crescent-shaped, fibrous knee joint cartilage called the meniscus are performed with tiny incisions, cameras and instruments. Thus, the recovery timeframe is much shorter than for the once more common open-knee surgeries.

When the meniscus is torn by injury and surgery is recommended, post-surgical measures frequently include the use of crutches. How long you use them will depend on several factors, including whether the meniscus tear was actually repaired or if, more simply, a piece of it was just removed (partial meniscectomy).
With a partial meniscectomy, crutches may be needed until you can walk without limping (usually five to seven days). With a proper rehabilitation program, you can usually expect to resume sports within four to six weeks after the surgery.
Following a repair, you will typically use crutches for at least three weeks to allow the repaired tissue to become attached and to avoid retearing the meniscus. Maximal weight training is not allowed for two to three months, and a return to running and agility sports is permitted after three to four months if strength and motion have returned and there is no pain in the joint. Of course, your pre- and postoperative condition and the progress of your overall recovery will influence that timeframe.

In addition to using crutches, you may also engage in physical therapy to:

  • strengthen your leg muscles
  • strengthen and regain full motion in your knee
  • return to a normal activity level

We will be happy to work with you and your surgeon to customize a physical therapy plan that will meet your goal of returning to work, home responsibilities and sports as quickly, comfortably and safely as possible.

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Tom Willemann

Tom Willemann

Tom Willemann is a premier physical therapist based out of Bergen County, New Jersey. He holds an MS in physical therapy from the University of Miami, is credentialed in the world-renowned McKenzie Method of Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy (MDT), and holds an OCS (Orthopedic Clinical Specialist) certification. As of 2018, there are approximately 14,000 ABPTS certified specialists in the nation and less than 400 of them are located in the state of New Jersey. Tom is the owner and director of Apex Orthopedic Rehabilitation in Paramus. He opened the clinic, which specializes in spine and sports injury prevention, in 2004 after many years of experience in the field. Tom’s caring interest in others and his strong belief in continuity of care, combined with his clinic’s ability to find solutions for the most difficult orthopedic problems, have earned Apex Orthopedic Rehabilitation its excellent reputation with patients and medical professionals in northeastern New Jersey and beyond. A true “family man,” Tom takes pride in his clinic’s warm and welcoming environment.
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