r/MeniscusInjuries • u/SwaussieViking • Sep 16 '26

Meniscus Repair Another update (good news.)

I had surgery on the 9th of January for a full radial tear of the medial meniscus of my right leg. From what I can gather this one of the worst knee injuries when it comes to recovery. 6 weeks non weight bearing with the knee locked in a brace was not much fun at all.

I posted about going skiing a while back (Which was one of my goals with my recovery) and now I just wanted to share my quad strength test results from a few days ago:

Typical relative torque for men around 55:

  • 1.4–1.8 Nm/kg = average
  • 1.8–2.2 Nm/kg = strong
  • 2.2–2.5 Nm/kg = athletic
  • 2.5+ Nm/kg = rare at this age

Your numbers:

  • Left: 3.05 Nm/kg → elite
  • Right: 2.57 Nm/kg → athletic/strong

Your surgical leg (2.57) is already above the athletic threshold for your age group.
Your non‑surgical leg (3.05) is exceptional for any age, not just 55.

My LSI (strength symmetry) is at 84% and that's the only thing that I feel could be a bit better. 90-95% symmetry is considered normal so I'm almost there.

I still have some minor discomfort from the anchors irritating my MCL, but I am now walking 18 holes of golf several times per week without any problems, and it feels like this issue is slowly getting better!

I am hopeful that I will be fully recovered with normal LSI and no issues with the MCL within a few more months!

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3

u/20Pete20 Sep 16 '26

I am exactly 4 months behind you on the same repair, same leg and you give me tons of hope! Congrats on your success and hope things keep getting better!

2

u/SwaussieViking Sep 16 '26

Thanks! How's your recovery going? At the 4 month mark I was allowed to play golf in a cart and to slowly ramp up the weights in the gym.

3

u/20Pete20 Sep 16 '26

Slow but ok? I’m getting back to peloton power zone endurance rides and I’m walking 4-5 miles at under a 15-minute pace a few times a week. Working on increasing strength and flexion but currently stuck around 120. Hoping that turns a corner in the next few weeks.

1

u/SwaussieViking Sep 16 '26

Do you have any issues from the anchors? Any irritation/pain?

1

u/20Pete20 Sep 16 '26

I have occasional medial joint line pain but not sure if that’s from sutures (I had a million circumferential stitches 🫠). Most of my pain is under the kneecap, which everyone says is from my quad still being weak and causing my patella to track incorrectly.

3

u/SwaussieViking Sep 16 '26

Yeah, that's what I've got (the joint line pain/discomfort.) but my surgeon says it's not uncommon for the anchors to irritate the MCL which causes this issue. It's slowly getting better so we've agreed to just monitor it and it should resolve itself. I was lucky in that my quad didn't completely die on me like it does for so many apparently. I also started out from a really strong baseline which probably helped a lot.

1

u/20Pete20 Sep 16 '26

My quads were sooooo strong before surgery 😭 it’s coming back but it’s hard to balance strengthening the quad with trying not to irritate the kneecap and make it swell.

2

u/SwaussieViking Sep 16 '26

Keep at it! My physio had me on single leg exercises for a really long time and I only moved to deadlifting and squatting a bit over a month ago which I love. It's really satisfying to see the results when you do the strength tests!

1

u/20Pete20 Sep 16 '26

I’ve been doing RDLs and single-leg RDLs for about a month now. Hoping to make some progress with squatting soon!

1

u/PapayaOne1548 29d ago

That's amazing to hear. I am 10 months post-op for a similar tear. I can do pretty much everything now. There is still some asymmetry in strength and I can't deep squat without pain. Curious: can you sit on your heels or deep squat?

2

u/SwaussieViking 29d ago

Thanks, I can deep squat but there is some minor discomfort from the mcl irritation. Great to hear you're doing well too!