Intensive physical therapy after meniscectomy

Fifty six meniscectomy patients were divided into 2 groups. One group (27 patients) was given the standard postoperative physiotherapy and the remainder (29 patients) received intensive physiotherapy. Clinical examination of the knee joint was performed preoperatively and 1, 2 and 4 weeks postoperatively. The patients' age was 36.26 +/- 12.34 and 34.00 +/- 9.21 years in the two groups respectively. The medial meniscus was removed from 47 patients, the lateral meniscus from 8 patients and bilateral meniscectomy was performed on one patient; no tear was seen in the excised meniscus in 8 cases. The clinical findings for the patient groups did not differ significantly either before or after the operation. The flexion strength of the knee of patients given intensive physiotherapy increased less in these 4 weeks than the flexion strength of the routine therapy group. The range of knee movement of the patients given intensive therapy was still below the preoperative value 4 weeks after the operation. Knee punctures were made more frequently on patients given intensive physiotherapy. Their walking capacity 2 weeks postoperatively was inferior to that of patients given routine physiotherapy, but this difference had disappeared at the 4-week examination. The isometric quadriceps strength and isotonic strength correlated well. The thigh girth gave no evidence of quadriceps atrophy. It can be concluded that intensified physiotherapy in meniscectomy patients does not shorten the rehabilitation period.