Meniscus Tear Rehabilitation Exercises

A meniscus tear can cause varied complications in a person and lead to a whole lot of pain. That is why it becomes important to carry through certain rehabilitation exercises to help in speeding the healing process of the meniscus muscle and bring about relief…

The meniscus tear is one of the most common tears that a person can get afflicted with. This tear occurs in the knee area and can be characterized by either a simple tear or a really intense one which can lead to varied complications in a person. Given the location of the injury, it is understandable why a tear in this region is common. The knee is one of the most used parts of our bodies and being in constant use is also one of the most probable places to suffer an injury.

A meniscus tear can come about due to excess pressure being put on the region and thus leading to a tear. That is why athletes are some of the most commonly affected people to suffer from a meniscus tear. There is a need to understand that a meniscus tear can lead to several complications, and therefore, the need of the hour is to carry forth certain exercises so that the condition can be brought under control and healing can be hastened. In this following section, we will focus on some of these lateral meniscus tear rehabilitation exercises as a part of the meniscus tear treatment.

Rehabilitation for Meniscus Tear Through Exercises

There is a need to undertake these rehabilitation exercises that will help to bring the condition back to normal and heal the tear faster.

Knee Extension

1. Sit on a chair and keep your back absolutely straight.
2. If that seems too painful then lie down on the bed in a relaxed manner.
3. Next, take the injured foot off the ground and into the air.
4. Slowly extend the foot till it has been stretched out to the maximum.
5. Make sure there is no pain while doing this. If there is, stop immediately and take up the exercise routine after some time has passed.
6. Slowly bring the leg back down and do about 15-20 repetitions of the same in sets of 3.

Hamstring Hold

1. Lie on your stomach on a bed and let your legs extend straight out.
2. The slowly lift your injured foot and bring it to a 45 degree angle. Let the leg stay in this position for 15 seconds or so and then slowly bring it down. If you find that you cannot keep the foot extended for such a long time then keep it for lesser and slowly expand the time.
3. Do about 20 repetitions in sets of three.
4. When your strength has been restored, try to keep the leg extended for longer periods. You can also try using light ankle weights to intensify the program further.

Squats

1. Squats are some of the most effective exercises that you can take up. These work the entire leg muscles and lead to increasing the overall strength of the legs. This proves to be very beneficial when one is dealing with a meniscus tear.
2. To do these, start off by standing absolutely straight with dumbbells in the hands or an exercise weight on the shoulders. This will add to the intensity of the exercise.
3. Slowly push your buttocks at the back as though you were about to sit in a chair and at the same time extend both arms forward with the dumbbells in hand.
4. Make sure that as the knees come forward, they do not cross the toes. This puts in more pressure on the thighs and can cause a pull.
5. Count to 5 and then slowly release and come back to the original position.
6. Repeat 16 times and do sets of three.

Quadriceps Contractions

1. Sit on the floor and extend both your legs out.
2. Place a rolled towel under the injured foot to give it extra padding.
3. Bend the normal foot at the knees and place the foot flat against the ground.
4. Slowly contract the muscles of the injured foot by flexing the foot and pointing the toes to the ceiling and the heels to the ground.
5. Maintain this position for 10 seconds, then relax for 2-3 seconds and flex again for 10 seconds.
6. Repeat this 10-20 times.

The meniscus tear recovery time will depend on the extent and the intensity of the injury. But with these rehabilitation exercises for that meniscus tear, the healing process gets hastened and allows for the proper healing of the muscles. But make sure that before you start out on these exercises, you consult your specialist and ensure that you are in a position to be doing these exercises effectively.