“How long does it take to recover from a knee cartilage operation?”
I will have knee cartilage surgery. How long does it take to recover from a knee cartilage operation?
8 Answers
It depends on what type of cartilage operation we are talking about. Ask your surgeon because he is the one who is actually doing the operation and has all the relevant information to give you an estimated recovery time.
Hello and good day. Thanks for sharing your ‘knee cartilage surgery’ question with the FATD community. Please allow me to offer my thoughts, tips and suggestions regarding your question.
From the limited history written, I am unsure as to what type of cartilage surgery you are having. The word cartilage has a few meanings in the knee. And, the word ‘recovery’ is also open to interpretation. Generally, skin incisions heal within 5-7 days. However, if you believe that recovery means ‘when will I feel no pain’ or ‘when can I get back on the playing field and be at an optimal state’, then the answers are different. As you know, surgery is a fantastic treatment modality but is not a cure. Cartilage tissue does not regrow. Therefore, if the cartilage is damaged and needs to be removed, it does not regenerate. So, your recovery may occur but you may never be 100 percent, and may not be ‘recovered’ for the rest of your life.
After surgery, I like to follow these steps:
https://www.pop-doc.com/joint-preactive.html
Getting the pain and swelling resolved is the first priority, followed by regaining full range of motion, flexibility, strength, and condition. I would not go back to my favorite sports until one leg is about equal to the other in all these parameters. Finally, sports-specific exercises need to be successfully completed prior to returning to competitive sports (if you even want to, depending on the expectations you have regarding your knee and its life of it). So, recovery can be five days, or 12 months, depending on the extent of your surgery and what you want to do with your operated knee.
Becoming and preserving a flexible, strong and conditioned leg (and core) is the best way to overcome/prevent a recurrent knee cartilage problem. Finding a good practice that helps with this, and then making a routine to preserve good posture in your life, will give you a pain-free existence (in that area of concern, your posture) for a long time.
I hope this helps.
From the limited history written, I am unsure as to what type of cartilage surgery you are having. The word cartilage has a few meanings in the knee. And, the word ‘recovery’ is also open to interpretation. Generally, skin incisions heal within 5-7 days. However, if you believe that recovery means ‘when will I feel no pain’ or ‘when can I get back on the playing field and be at an optimal state’, then the answers are different. As you know, surgery is a fantastic treatment modality but is not a cure. Cartilage tissue does not regrow. Therefore, if the cartilage is damaged and needs to be removed, it does not regenerate. So, your recovery may occur but you may never be 100 percent, and may not be ‘recovered’ for the rest of your life.
After surgery, I like to follow these steps:
https://www.pop-doc.com/joint-preactive.html
Getting the pain and swelling resolved is the first priority, followed by regaining full range of motion, flexibility, strength, and condition. I would not go back to my favorite sports until one leg is about equal to the other in all these parameters. Finally, sports-specific exercises need to be successfully completed prior to returning to competitive sports (if you even want to, depending on the expectations you have regarding your knee and its life of it). So, recovery can be five days, or 12 months, depending on the extent of your surgery and what you want to do with your operated knee.
Becoming and preserving a flexible, strong and conditioned leg (and core) is the best way to overcome/prevent a recurrent knee cartilage problem. Finding a good practice that helps with this, and then making a routine to preserve good posture in your life, will give you a pain-free existence (in that area of concern, your posture) for a long time.
I hope this helps.
Recovery can vary depending on the extent of the cartilage damage. However typically 4-6 weeks would be a reasonable expectation for meniscus surgery.
Recovery time depends on many factors including the exact nature of the cartilage operation. There are different recovery protocols for different types of cartilage procedures: OATS procedure vs. microfracture vs. meniscus debridement, vs meniscus repair. Also, there are patient factors that can affect recovery time such as smoking status, diabetes, use of immune suppressants, and a few others. It is best to discuss the exact details with your Orthopaedic surgeon.
It depends on the type of "cartilage procedure" you are having. Osteochondral autografts/allograft transplants (OATs) often require less recovery time than a Matrix Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation(MACI), as the cells from the MACI need time to grow. It may also depend on which knee compartment is being done. Your weight-bearing status also will vary. On the short end an OATs procedure done on a femoral condyle, may allow immediate weight-bearing with protection and full release at 6 months. Whereas a MACI procedure to the patella will limit WB for 6-12 weeks and a full return to activities at 9-12months. Your treating surgeon will be able to counsel you on their protocol that is specific to you.
For a meniscal cartilage operation, it can be 4-6 weeks. A meniscal repair can be 3months.
6-12 months
Depends on what they do to the cartilage. Ask the surgeon doing the surgery.
