Hi every body i just found this website and i think its great. I never thought about weight lifting until recently when i toarup the cartilage in my right knee.(about 3mo ago). my only exerscise was running and now thats not an option(it hurts to try) so i decided to change my way of life and build my body stronger to prevent injuries. I riding my bicycle for up to 14mi to gain cardio and start building the muscles in my legs. Can anyone of you suggest any exerscises or workout plans for me? I have been cleared by the doctor to go back to my daily life but im not as strong as used to be and Now i want to be even stronger and better built. im big at all, 5’4" about 132lb. Just want to gain strength and muscle butnot loose flexibility and cardio. i’ll apreciate any kind of info.
took you 3 months for one tear?I’ve torn the meniscus in my right knee about 4-5 times now,it swells up I ice the hell out of it and in 2 days its fine.
The only thing I will tell you is this-if it hurts to run DO NOT jump…it feels like having your leg shoved thru your trap.Also if you start squating up the weight slowly,cause your knee cant take the weight,unless you’ve had your meniscus fixed…i still need to fix mine
I had orthroscopic surgery, they cut-off part(maybe half) of the meniscus. Recovery time was 6 weeks. but bad wheather made it keep on hurting so i took about 8 weeks before start doing more exerscise rehab. but now i want to get serious about changing my life style but im lost dont know anything about working out or dieting or supplements.
The rule I follow is that if it hurts then don’t do it. for rehab you should probably ask your dr or consult a physical therapist. I did a lot of isometric stuff for my quads, and then used therabands until I was strong enought to start doing weights. On a side note remember that the stronger your leg is, the less your knee will hurt, so keep after it.
I asked and the Doc. said i can do whatever i want to start doing. the therapist said to go ahead. Riding Bicycle does make the pain go away so i’ll start leg workouts slow and then build up from there. but ab and upper body i can go all out. just need guidance.
I didn’t tear my meniscus but I really strained the hell out of it. My doctor felt comfortable giving me a clear bill of health with an x-ray and some palpations.
At any rate, riding the stationary bike at my gym really seemed to help my knee more than anything. So, you’re probably onto something beneficial with your bike riding. Aside from that, just progress into your training with some caution and if it hurts, don’t do it.
before you start putting weight on it do 50 bodyweight squats,if it starts to get stiff/hurt before you hit 30 id go real slow with the weights.
I find playing basketball helps loosen mine up.
i just did about 10 miles earlier today an its amazing how it makes the pain go away, but i also think that the Doctor that did the surgery left a lot of scar tissue inside my knee. i’ve asked some of the soccer girls from the college and their recovery time was faster and scars were smaller. I dont think im that much of a wimp where i cant heal just as fast as them. Some of the girls said that after their surgery they didnt have that much pain. So who knows. Now as far as squats I cant even do 20 of them. Im thinking leg extensions w/only a few pounds to start with.
[quote]ramco wrote:
i just did about 10 miles earlier today an its amazing how it makes the pain go away, but i also think that the Doctor that did the surgery left a lot of scar tissue inside my knee. i’ve asked some of the soccer girls from the college and their recovery time was faster and scars were smaller. I dont think im that much of a wimp where i cant heal just as fast as them. Some of the girls said that after their surgery they didnt have that much pain. So who knows. Now as far as squats I cant even do 20 of them. Im thinking leg extensions w/only a few pounds to start with.[/quote]
It would depend on the severity of the injury as to recovery time. What I did was to start out with leg ext. and leg curls. then work up to where you can put a swiss ball against a wall and lean back against it and do bw squats like that. After about 6 months of rehab I was able to start doing real squats. Just be patient and don’t push yourself too hard too soon.
i tried to do leg extensions and 10 pounds was the best i could do on the leg i had surgery 
Oh well i guess its a start. I guess its going to be a long time before i can go back to being my oldself.
[quote]ramco wrote:
i tried to do leg extensions and 10 pounds was the best i could do on the leg i had surgery Oh well i guess its a start. I guess its going to be a long time before i can go back to being my oldself.[/quote]
I used a theraband when I started, not weights. Also I had a stim machine and I would put it on after I did the weights and ice. All of this is just a suggestion, but icing every day made my knee feel a lot better.