Bummed

I had surgery almost 4 weeks ago. Tonight was supposed to be my first night back to work. I was having a lot of knee pain and got it checked out. I have a medial and lateral meniscus tear. I am out of work for the rest of this week. I had my knee drained and a cortisone injunction hoping it helps soon, I am having pain trying to walk even with the brace on. I am hoping to avoid needing surgery to repair and get back to walking. I guess my walking made my knee unhappy. My question is did anyone use swimming as exercise and if so when are we able to do that.

Lots of people use swimming as exercise!  No worries.  Ask your surgeon what his specific rules are, but I was cleared for it at 6 weeks.  

You should also get a prescription for physical therapy.  

He said when my incisions were closed. They look closed. I do have one spot that has a spitting stitch. I am guessing I have to wait for that to heal up. 

My surgeon also said I can swim when my incisions heal.  I will be 4 weeks out tomorrow and am still waiting for the drain incision to completely heal.

You have to give yourself time to heal. If you don't exercise until week 8 or 10 it's not that big of a deal. Light walking to get soreness out is all I did for 6 weeks. And even then if I didn't feel like it I skipped it. I'm 10 months out and have been at goal for a few weeks now. Take care of yourself.

When your has cleared you for swimming (incisions totally healed) you can probably hit the pool.  Your main concern at this point is not to tear the miniscus further meaning take it easy on the leg exercise.  I am no doctor but been there done that.  I worked in the hospital with the tear for many years, did a lot of hall walking for sure.  It did not get any better by doing that.  Finally last year (which was about 8 years after the worse part of the tear) I had to have surgery.  The surgery was for knee replacement but not because of the tear.  I kept getting the cortisone shots until they no longer helped (needed more often than two months).  Then went to the Synvisc injections.  Still didnt help.  So viole surgery (I also have bad arthritis whch was a major factor too).  So just take it easy and don't pu****  Give yourself time to heal.  Listen to your doctor.  I know that you are anxious to do the best to make your newest surgery work out perfectly but taking it easy and being patient is your best medicine for right now.  Like I said, I am no doctor.  so anyway=Good luck.