Tore my cartilage a couple of months ago,the swelling and fluid has finally gone down but still can't bend it properly.Had to cancel a trip to the Maldives-aaarrrgh !!! Booked in to have an arthrescope clean up but have to wait 6 months plus on the public system.
Any body out there (surfer or sportsperson)got any good tips for rehab,pre and post op. signed unlucky mac.

Had both knees done a few years back you'll walk out of day surgery bit of pain for a day or so but you'll be back in the water couple weeks later 3 at most of all goes well. Don't have your first surf at Nazare or Jaws.

went private about 15 years ago, my leg locked in a bent position and the GP couldn't straighten it,
booked myself in and handed over my credit card details at the hospital reception...5k later ouch hurt more than the key hole surgery.....
had the cartilage in my left knee done, lied to the nurse on the way out and said I was getting a taxi home....
jumped in my car and just managed to use the clutch to get home, stayed out of the water for
a couple of weeks (soft)....a lot better than getting your wisdom teeth out

A life time of sports has totalled my knees but strangely enough it doesn't affect my surfing. Think I've had about seven surgeries so the advice I can give post op is to make sure you stick to your rehab. Very important to get the strength back again. Otherwise kiss your surfing career away. (Or get a goat boat)

Best advice from my experience is to do the rehab and strengthening exercises before surgery so you recover much quicker

Thanks for the advice fellow waxheads,especially the bit about jaws

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brownie49 said..
Best advice from my experience is to do the rehab and strengthening exercises before surgery so you recover much quicker

Yep, agree brownie, assuming it's healthy enough to do some rehab/strength stuff. Not always possible. Hoping the knee is in good nic when it's injured.

12 weeks of quality strength work for glutes, quads and hammies and there is about an 80% chance you won't need an op. 2 year follow up for arthroscopy vs conservative management is no difference in most research ---> www.bmj.com/content/354/bmj.i3740 Unless you have true mechanical symptoms like someone above (genuinely locked knee, or the knee getting stuck), you can save a fair bit of time, money and surgical risk for something that in 2 years might not really be any different. Disclaimer: i'm a physio, so of course i'm going to advocate non surgical management, so feel free to take this advice with a grain of salt. Good luck!

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CarterSUPhysio said..
12 weeks of quality strength work for glutes, quads and hammies and there is about an 80% chance you won't need an op. 2 year follow up for arthroscopy vs conservative management is no difference in most research ---> www.bmj.com/content/354/bmj.i3740 Unless you have true mechanical symptoms like someone above (genuinely locked knee, or the knee getting stuck), you can save a fair bit of time, money and surgical risk for something that in 2 years might not really be any different. Disclaimer: i'm a physio, so of course i'm going to advocate non surgical management, so feel free to take this advice with a grain of salt. Good luck!

I'd listen to this bloke, knows what he is talking about, also happens to be my physio.

Post op find an aquatherapy pool, heated are the best. The one I use is 36degrees, you may need to fight for,space with the 80 years but you hold stretches deeper & longer in the water. Even walking in the into kiddies pool would be good. I do 2-3 sessions a week for a hip & surfing better than I was before due.

Mr Carter I will be seeing you next week - funny story.

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Dazzler75 said..

CarterSUPhysio said..
12 weeks of quality strength work for glutes, quads and hammies and there is about an 80% chance you won't need an op. 2 year follow up for arthroscopy vs conservative management is no difference in most research ---> www.bmj.com/content/354/bmj.i3740 Unless you have true mechanical symptoms like someone above (genuinely locked knee, or the knee getting stuck), you can save a fair bit of time, money and surgical risk for something that in 2 years might not really be any different. Disclaimer: i'm a physio, so of course i'm going to advocate non surgical management, so feel free to take this advice with a grain of salt. Good luck!

I'd listen to this bloke, knows what he is talking about, also happens to be my physio.

Post op find an aquatherapy pool, heated are the best. The one I use is 36degrees, you may need to fight for,space with the 80 years but you hold stretches deeper & longer in the water. Even walking in the into kiddies pool would be good. I do 2-3 sessions a week for a hip & surfing better than I was before due.

Mr Carter I will be seeing you next week - funny story.

Cheers for the kind words mate!

bloody hell, "funny story" is never a good thing when you're talking to a physio!!

Every time I've hurt my knees Surfing, I leave it at least a week or maybe a bit more depending on how badly hurt they are and then go do Bikram Yoga 3 - 4 times a week for 3 or 4 weeks.

The key is to take it super easy and go just to the edge of the pain with each Yoga Pose.

It has always fixed them up for me and I've hurt my knees them pretty bad a few times Surfing now.

For some reason the heat and different Yoga Poses in Bikram Yoga really helps heal these sorts of injuries.

The other thing I found really helps with knees in general is doing a thing called Oil Pulling. It's a Ayervedic thing where you hold a Tablespoon of something Coconut Oil in the mouth for 20 minutes which is generally done for oral health but I also found when I do Oil Pulling my knees stop cracking etc when I walk up stairs. It's almost like the Oil gets sucked out of the mouth and get redistributed to the joints and lubricates them.

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CarterSUPhysio said..
12 weeks of quality strength work for glutes, quads and hammies and there is about an 80% chance you won't need an op. 2 year follow up for arthroscopy vs conservative management is no difference in most research ---> www.bmj.com/content/354/bmj.i3740 Unless you have true mechanical symptoms like someone above (genuinely locked knee, or the knee getting stuck), you can save a fair bit of time, money and surgical risk for something that in 2 years might not really be any different. Disclaimer: i'm a physio, so of course i'm going to advocate non surgical management, so feel free to take this advice with a grain of salt. Good luck!

What are your thoughts on a knee brace when Surfing post op?

If you think they are a good idea. Any products you recommend?

Tore my left knee miniscus at 21 (45 now) power sliding down a hill on the skatey headed home on Hastings st scabs. DR got mme sorted for an opp in like 18 months public....knee felt good after 2-3 weeks...go for a surf, loving it untill one floater puts too much pressure on it & it goes sideways (my leg that is, from the knee)...got sick of hearing how good the surf was that day, after repeating that situation for about 10 months. Moved to the middle of nowhere miles away from surf for about 18 months where no one was telling you how good the surf was that day. Small town, did heaps of walking anywhere I wanted to go. Knee strengethened from all the walking (note I was only like 22yo at this stage).

But anyway lengthened amount of time with heaps of exercise strengthening the knee without operation can be beneficial when your young enough to let your body heal. Hardest part is allowing your body to heal itself when you feel you are ready. Not saying this is best in all situations, but statistically sometimes better than going an OP & I believe worth a try before...but its hard, finding the patience when mates are telling you how good it is atm & you feel like your walking ok now with out the limp. Thats the hardest part, determining when you are ready to return & knowing your limits. Drawing lines that still get you stoked but don't put you back to square 1 or -1

All the best to you poor buggers, been there & always careful not to return.....

Ive read heaps of articles recently advising rehab before surgery for meniscus problems,if i hadn't had surgery i wouldn't be surfing now, from what I've gathered the cartilage in your knee has limited blood supply so can't heal as well as other areas ,if you have a tear or tag its best to get it cleaned up,I was out of action for 3 months before I decided to get an arthroscopy and after it i was back surfing in 3 weeks and that was 10 years ago no problems since,Im not a specialist in any way but just telling what worked for me.All the best ,being out of the water sucks

, Everyone I've spoken to who's had an arthroscopy (cartilage tear) has said after the opp (3-6 weeks) the knee is working fine and they're back into the surf,no probs but without the opp they might be surfing and it grabs or some other problem and they're never confident what the knee might do.There is some positive advancement in stem cell treatment for cartilage repair happening at "Melbourne Stem Centre"

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CarterSUPhysio said..
12 weeks of quality strength work for glutes, quads and hammies and there is about an 80% chance you won't need an op. 2 year follow up for arthroscopy vs conservative management is no difference in most research ---> www.bmj.com/content/354/bmj.i3740 Unless you have true mechanical symptoms like someone above (genuinely locked knee, or the knee getting stuck), you can save a fair bit of time, money and surgical risk for something that in 2 years might not really be any different. Disclaimer: i'm a physio, so of course i'm going to advocate non surgical management, so feel free to take this advice with a grain of salt. Good luck!

I am with you here, don't let them touch you with a knife if you can help it. I would exhaust all other options first. Once it's done there is no undoing it.

My Knee has never recovered from the so call "run of the mill surgery", "do hundreds every week!" but what they didn't tell you is that they don't give ****e once you've paid your money. They are not doing it for your welfare, they are doing it for theirs. ($$$)
I am not alone in my opinion either.

My knee is okay 15 years after, but it won't straighten, and as much as I do lots of physio to keep in good condition, I don't have anything to thank the surgeon for.

I hear you but I recon things have come a long way in 15 years,I'd rather have any operation now than 15 years ago.I live in a smallish regional town with only 2 orthopaedic surgeons,both highly trained and experienced, so they're very well known for their abilities and community position.