POST OPERATIVE REHABILITATION Update 2026
Following meniscal transplant surgery rehabilitation is key to recovery.
The Rehabilitation guide, based on the University Hospital Coventry & Warwickshire Post-Operative Rehabilitation Programme, is shared below.
After surgery your surgeon will advise you of their specific requirements depending upon your individual surgery and long-term goals.
POST OPERATIVE REHABILITATION
Knee Surgeon Leads: Mr Tim Spalding and Mr Pete Thompson
Outline
Principles of postoperative recovery and rehabilitation
Meniscal Transplantation involves insertion of a donor Meniscus into the knee to treat symptoms of knee pain that can happen after removal of the meniscus following injury.
Meniscus grafts are matched by exact dimensions and are stored frozen. It can take several months to find a suitable graft but once inserted and healed it can function as a ‘nearly new’ shock absorber protecting the joint surfaces and relieving pain and discomfort.
Rehabilitation is a key part of success and there are many factors to be considered. Early movement and function must be balanced against allowing time for the meniscus to heal in place.
This document aims to guide you through a goal orientated programme to restore good knee function. Loading of the meniscus, through weight bearing and full bending of the knee, must be controlled in the early phases of rehabilitation due to the increased force that is placed on the fixation of the new meniscus.
The meniscus is an important cushion in the knee protecting the joint surfaces and it must heal in the right position before being loaded in activities of sport, running or squatting. Progression through the phases of rehabilitation is based on achievement of criteria and the state of the knee rather than a specific week by week basis. Approximate time points are given as a guide.