Is it possible to go home the same day after arthroscopic knee surgery?!
Question:
Is it possible to go home the same day after arthroscopic knee surgery?
I am having arthroscopic knee surgery. According to the MRI, I have a "grade 3 rupture" in the inner side meniscus. Is it possible to go home the same day, or is it necessary to spend a day or two in the hospital? I really don't want to spend even one night in the hospital. I would feel much, much better at home.
If the hospital stay is for legal reasons (such as lawsuit if patient gets worse or dies of complications), can I sign a waiver to let me leave the hospital?
My choice of anesthesia is general (gas) or spinal injection to numb the leg. I am opting for the injection because general anesthesia makes me uncontrollably nervous afterwards, and it's torture just sitting still.
How long after surgery are you typically allowed to start walking? How much pain should I expect afterwards? Any recommendations?
Answers:
Hi, my daughter just had the scope done on her knee 6 weeks ago. It is day surgery. In at 11 a.m. and home around 4p.m. Surgery 1 1/2 hrs
As far as weight bearing goes, is the meniscus getting repaired or removed? There's a huge difference in the recovery time depending on what the OS is doing.
My daughter had hers repaired. She had 3 tears on the medial meniscus (inside one) She was non weight bearing for 6 weeks, and just started 50% weight bearing for another 3 weeks. After that she can go to FWB. She has been going to physio twice a week. She started one week after the surgery.Also she was in a G11 brace, that was locked at 30 degrees for 2 weeks, 60 degrees for 2 weeks etc etc.
If the meniscus is not repairable the surgery is much easier with removal. My husband walked the next day with one crutch, and was off work a couple of days. This option is not very good in the long run though. Most removals will end up years down the road in arthiritis. You really need the meniscus to act as a cushion between the bones. If it gets removed you get bone rubbing on bone. My husband is now looking at TKR