Can You Run With a Torn Meniscus?
Key takeaways:
Running is a high-impact activity that places a lot of stress on the knees. If you have a torn meniscus that causes pain or other symptoms, you’ll need to take a break from running.
You can safely return to running when you can walk without a limp and have full range of motion, good leg strength, and no pain with functional movements.
Start off slowly when returning to running after a meniscus tear. Warm up before you run, keep your pace slow, and run on even surfaces. Don’t increase your running duration or distance more than 10% per week.
A torn meniscus is a common injury in adults. The meniscus is shock-absorbing cartilage in the knee. When it’s injured, it can cause pain. This and other common symptoms — stiffness, swelling, instability, and locking — can limit your ability to move around and exercise comfortably.
If you have any of these symptoms, you may wonder if you can run with a torn meniscus. The good news is that many cases of a torn meniscus don’t need surgery. But that doesn’t mean that you should jump back into running right away after injury.
Is it OK to run with a torn meniscus?
It depends. Many factors determine when it’s safe to run again, but the biggest one is the type of meniscus injury. It helps to understand the two types: degenerative and traumatic.
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Degenerative
Degenerative meniscus tears happen over time (think: years) from wear and tear. They’re more common with age and in people with osteoarthritis. This type of meniscus tear usually doesn’t require surgery. In fact, surgery can actually accelerate the development of arthritis, so it’s only recommended in certain cases.
With rest and activity modification, eventually the pain and swelling from a degenerative tear will decrease. But it can take weeks or even a couple months to get back to feeling normal. When that happens, you may be able to safely run again. Start off running shorter distances, at slower speeds, and on even surfaces. Severe or sudden increase in pain or swelling are signs that you should stop.
Traumatic
Less commonly, a torn meniscus is traumatic, meaning it’s due to injury. In these cases, the tear develops all of a sudden, often from a forceful, twisting movement. Pivoting your body with a planted foot or slipping and falling are common causes of traumatic meniscus tears.
In these instances, you should avoid running. Depending on the severity of your injury, you may need to stay off your feet as much as possible in the beginning days or weeks after injury (more on this below). If you’re unsure, pay attention to these signs that you shouldn’t run with a torn meniscus:
Increased pain with weight-bearing, walking, or running
Feeling knee instability
Limited knee range of motion
Knee swelling
Recovery from a traumatic meniscus tear depends on various factors. These include the type, size, and location of the tear. It also depends on your age and fitness level. Younger, elite athletes may require surgery to repair the tear, while others may recover without surgery. Returning to running in the future is possible, but rest and proper rehabilitation are needed first.
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What are the risks of running with a torn meniscus?
Continuing to run with a torn meniscus can slow down the healing process and cause long-term pain and meniscus damage. It’s best to wait until the inflammation and feelings of instability have gone away.
Running is a highly repetitive activity that stresses the joints of the lower body. It’s estimated that jogging can increase pressure on your knees by an average of four times your body weight. Running at a faster pace increases knee compression even more, anywhere between 6 to 14 times your body weight. This increased pressure applies more compression to the cartilage in your knees, which can aggravate a torn meniscus.
Running has also been shown to reduce the water content of cartilage, especially the medial meniscus (on the inside of the knee). Each meniscus is made up of 70% to 75% water. With less water, the meniscus is less able to maintain its shape to support and cushion the knee joint.
Self-care tips for meniscus tear recovery
The first step in recovery from a torn meniscus is rest. Taking a break from running and other high-impact exercise will help decrease pain and swelling — and help your torn meniscus heal.
You may also want to try other home remedies to help reduce pain and swelling. These include:
Over-the-counter medication, like nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
Elevation
Physical therapy or home exercise is also important to improve your muscle strength. Knee injuries of any type tend to weaken your leg muscles, especially the quadriceps at the front of the thigh. So, you’ll feel more stable as you regain your strength.
Start with conservative treatment for 4 to 6 weeks. For ongoing symptoms, your healthcare professional may also recommend a corticosteroid injection into your knee. This anti-inflammatory medication can help reduce pain and inflammation.
Sometimes, significant pain or chronic symptoms will limit your everyday activities. If this is the case, talk with your healthcare professional. Although many cases of meniscus tears can heal with proper rest and rehabilitation, surgery is sometimes needed.
How to return to running after a torn meniscus
You should check off certain criteria before returning to running with a torn meniscus. These will ensure that your leg is strong enough to return to physical activity.
Before returning to running, consider this set of criteria:
Walking without a limp
Full range of motion (bending and straightening) without pain
No swelling
Equal strength between right and left legs
When returning to running, you don’t want to overdo it. To prevent irritating your torn meniscus,
start off slowly and ease your way back into running.
Helpful tips include:
Warm up for 5 to 10 minutes before running.
Start with a jog or run at a slow to moderate pace.
Focus on maintaining good running form.
Run on even surfaces and avoid hills.
Keep your running duration or distance short.
Increase your running duration or distance by no more than 10% each week.
Take at least 1 day off in between runs.
The bottom line
A torn meniscus can impact your ability to run. With this type of injury, you’ll need to take a break from running to allow your knee to heal. You can safely return to running once pain and swelling go away, your strength and range of motion are normal, and you can walk without a limp. To avoid reinjury, start off slowly with a gradual, return-to-running program. This includes warming up before runs and running on even surfaces. You should also keep your pace slow, increase your running duration or distance by no more than 10% per week, and take rest days between runs.
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References
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