“I have to get surgery for my torn meniscus. I’m going to be out of commission for a while.”
“The MRI doesn’t look so good. Hopefully surgery will be a quick fix.”
Sounds familiar? Most of us know someone who has been told that they needed surgery for their knee – or have received that disheartening news ourselves. A meniscus tear is one of the most prevalent knee problems in adults, and is often treated with surgery (meniscectomy) as the first option.
Your meniscus stabilizes and cushions the knee joint. A tear would be viewed easily on an MRI, which can cause many doctors to immediately prescribe surgery. Following that type of surgery, you would probably spend about two weeks with your leg completely immobilized. Then you would be introduced to a rehabilitation plan that included physiotherapy – not to recover from the original injury to your knee, but to recover from the surgery that supposedly fixed it.
Surgery, in the right circumstances, can be extremely beneficial. But unfortunately, it is over-prescribed and often unnecessary, especially for individuals with knee pain. Seeing a torn meniscus on the MRI screen may trigger an automatic prescription of surgery and medication- but these “quick fixes” may not be your safest or most helpful options. In fact, MRIs can produce false positives and lead to invasive surgeries for specific injuries that didn’t even exist in the first place or they can be abnormal findings on Xray/scan that may not even be the the cause of your current pain and could have been present long before your pain started. MRIs are a useful tool, but their readings should always be taken with a pinch of salt. When given the opportunity, your body will do its best to heal itself. Why not try careful, guided exercise and strength-building before you submit to incisions and long, medicated recoveries?
This is where physiotherapy comes in. Consider working with a specialist physiotherapist to address your specific injury or pain- someone who doesn’t just prescribe a set of general exercises and passive modalities, but genuinely wants to help you recover in a natural and low-risk manner.
A specialist physiotherapist will carefully listen to your history, analyze your symptoms, come up with a customized plan of action, and problem-solve WITH you versus trying to solve the problem FOR you. One of the primary goals of our practice is to use guided, natural movement to help your body recover to full strength and health based on your own individual needs. Most knee and other injuries occur because the surrounding muscles are too weak to support those joints and systems properly. You may think that your regular exercise and stretching is enough, but working specific muscle groups can leave others underdeveloped and makes your body unbalanced as a whole. At Empower Physiotherapy, you will be designed your own personalised workout programme that balances you both mentally and physically! It won’t create further damage to any injuries because it’s so low impact, and working with a professional will allow you to customize your session to your own individual needs.
Do you live in the Midrand area and want to learn more about why surgery shouldn’t be your first – let alone ONLY – option for recovery? Click here to get in touch, ask questions, and schedule an appointment. Even better you can book our Free Explora session here where you get to speak with a Specialist Physio, tell us everything that's been going on with you, and determine for yourself if we're the best people to help you. It's a completely free, no-obligation appointment that will give you all the information you need to make the BEST decision for YOUR health - whether that's working with us or not. If you want to first find out about <<Session Cost & Availability-Click here>>
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Please note that this video is for general informational purposes only. Your individual condition may be unique and hence the advice may differ from information in the video. It is best to consult your health professional or get in touch with us if you have any questions.
