It's been three years since I tore my cruciate ligaments skiing. The result? My outer cruciate ligament was torn completely and under repairable, my inner cruciate ligament tore and has since recovered and I have a tear in my meniscus. Pronunciation of the clinic where I then went? We prefer not to operate, so first we look with physiotherapy to see how this injury 'fits' in your life.
We are now three years later and it actually went quite well. We've done quite a bit of work in recent years. Before corona started, I exercised three times a week at Basic Fit on the treadmill and bicycle. In addition, we have moved and we have been working in our new house for many months. And that's all fine. I can sit on my haunches again and even on my knees is fine. Until two weeks ago unfortunately. Something went wrong when installing our new floor. Not during the laying itself, because I didn't feel much then. But after a weekend of sliding around the house on my knees, my knee started to protest.
In retrospect, all I can think is… how could I be so stupid? I know I have a tear in my meniscus! So you see how you can learn to live with an injury in such a way that you don't really think about it anymore. Until it's too late of course. Not that I think it's too late at the moment, not that, but I've come to the point where I'm looking for a good brace. I have two of these at home, number one of which is the brace I brought from Austria. A huge mess. And number two is a brace for those with a minor knee injury. He does give me some support but not enough for the moment.
I myself would like to have a brace that provides sufficient support for my knee when it is really necessary. For example, during sports. And now, because my knee is currently still in the recovery phase. Squatting or sitting on my knees is not an option, there is too much fluid in my knee for that and the tear in my meniscus will also cause discomfort.
I think the balance between resting and being active is also important here. Doing nothing at all is not beneficial. I am therefore continuously looking for the balance for a healthy lifestyle that is not too taxing, but where I do something active. What I notice, for example, is that after a day of writing at my desk I can hardly get up from my chair. Or actually, I'm just about to get up, but when I walk away I walk very crippled. After I took a few steps, it seems to be getting a little better.
Walking is also good in my opinion. It feels good when I'm busy, even if the start is still a bit unstable. But if I were to go for a walk for two hours now, my knee would get even more irritated. Running was not beneficial anyway and is currently completely out of the question, so I'll leave that out. In fact, my 'sports rhythm' consists only of walking for the time being.
I am now wondering if my knee will survive for years to come. Will things get better in a few weeks and will I be in the situation again that it seems as if nothing is wrong? Or will this recovery continue for months and have I just taken a step back?
Do any of you have experience with a meniscus tear? How has your recovery period been and are you still bothered by it? And how many years have you been 'on the road'?
