Recovery & Support for Meniscus Tears

NYU Langone sports health specialists offer a range of recovery and support programs and strategies to help return you to your daily and physical activities after meniscus surgery.

Postsurgical Care

Your doctor sees you about a week after surgery to take out your stitches and to check that your incisions are healing well. They may check on the range of motion in the knee, ask about any physical discomfort you may be experiencing, and refer you to physical therapists, who are an integral part of the recovery process.

Your doctor may prescribe pain relief medications for short-term and closely monitored use immediately after surgery. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications can also be used to reduce inflammation and pain.

Applying an ice pack and elevating the knee periodically may also help manage pain and reduce swelling. Using a cold therapy machine, which cycles cold water through a specialized covering over your knee, may also be an option. Your doctor discusses how often icing the knee is necessary.

Physical Therapy

Our physical therapists work closely with you and your doctor to create a personalized rehabilitation plan.

They carefully consider any weight-bearing restrictions, which vary based on the type of meniscus surgery you had. For example, people with a partial meniscectomy may be able to place weight on their knee sooner than those who had a meniscus repair.

Physical therapy can build strength in your knee, bring down swelling, and improve function and range of motion in the joint. In the weeks after the procedure, your physical therapist may also use heat, ice, and soft tissue mobilization to reduce swelling and relieve pain.

As walking and exercising become easier, you can participate in increasingly strenuous exercises to stretch and tone muscles and increase your range of motion until you’ve fully regained mobility and strength. Your physical therapist evaluates your progress before recommending additional treatment.

Your doctor determines when you are healthy enough to ease back into sports and more strenuous exercise. Using the most advanced equipment, specialists at NYU Langone’s Sports Performance Center can assess and refine your movements to help protect your knee from future injury.