Janaye is now past the six (6) week window of non-weight bearing required for her meniscal transplant surgery. She is thrilled to be walking, to say the least.
Read the previous updates on Janaye: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.
Here is a quick update of Janaye’s recovery!
1. Her calf muscle on the surgical side is quite sensitive and “feels torn.” When the quadriceps weakens from the immobility caused by a surgery such as this one, walking becomes heavily reliant on the calf muscles. Compensations can be a real pain. This should improve as her quads perk up.
2. Janaye can now balance for limited periods of time on the surgical leg. Good job, Janaye!
3. We have decided that the donor meniscus came from a young person. Janaye did get to see the donor meniscus prior to transplant. There were no imperfections to the tissue, which will typically mean that the donor did not have the time in life to cause typical “wear and tear.” I would bet that meniscal tissue is not viable for donation in people over the age of forty for this reason. Become an organ donor, people!
4. Janaye’s lower back and hips were very sore and stiff for the first several days after re-introducing weight-bearing. Not being able to bear weight on one’s leg for six weeks is a huge problem in terms of body symmetry. The pelvis and lower back will inevitably suffer mal-alignment issues from excessive weight bearing on one side. The longer that the body is not allowed to bear weight equally, the more likely this is to become a problem.
Continue reading about Janaye’s progress with the next post: Weight Bearing & Dynamic Balance Training.
Read the series:
1. Meniscal Replacement Surgery
2. Meniscal Transplant, Part 2
3. Meniscal Transplant: Janaye Is “Over This”
4. Janaye’s Meniscus Transplant Saga Continues
5. Weight Bearing & Dynamic Balance Training
6. Janaye’s Final Meniscal Blog Update!
I had meniscus transplant surgery the end of September of 2016 and its February and my knee is not doing great! I’m frustrated and tired of the pain. I’m coming up on my 16th therapy visit and I’m no where near where I should be. What’s wrong with my knee?
That is a very broad question. I can’t give you a definitive answer, but you want to make sure that the mechanics of the knee are ideal. Your VMO needs to have a solid contraction and endurance, and the hip muscles (gluteals) need to be nice and strong. It might be a good idea to get a fresh set of eyes on the problem. Maybe you could find another PT in your area who has tons of experience? You want to have everything assessed form the hip down to the foot.