Meniscus tear

[Clemens]

Hello,

about a year ago I had a meniscus tear in my right knee (not lifting related). It was a radial tear in the posterior horn of the medial meniscus (diagnosed via MRI).
I had pain and swelling in the first weeks and the first doctor I saw recommended surgery to avoid damaging the knee joint over the years due to the now almost split meniscus.
I then got a 2nd opinion and he suggested rehabbing it without surgery, which worked great so far. No more swelling and no pain. It basically got better without any intervention.

I started the NLP a few months ago (Oct), but I am a bit hesitant to go below parallel in the squat. Are my worries justified?

If anyone has experience with this type of injury, would be great to hear if it affected your squat (depth).

Thank you.

[Chris Palladino]

Clemens,

Thanks for your post.

Well I am assuming you are squatting high at this point, which also has a list of its own problems.

Since you completed a bout of PT with success, I'm sure the PT was able to range your knee without symptoms. So in that case and with the current NLP in progress, squatting to proper depth should be fine. With that said...

Since you are a few months into the program I do not suggest on your next training session adding 5 # and squatting deeper. Instead, I suggest taking some weight off, possibly 10-20% or more and climbing back up to be safe over the next few weeks. Practice this new depth with the empty bar for at least 2-3 sets of 5 to get comfortable and properly warmed up. Take conservative jumps in your warm ups and video yourself to check depth. Proper depth is hip crease below the top of the knee, there is no need to be any lower. If you experience any catching, locking or are unsure of your form, you might want to get in front of a coach.

Good luck

[Clemens]

Hi Chris, thank you for your response.

Today I submitted a form check video, which is still borderline too high in some reps: Squat form check

Yes, the PT could move the leg over the full range of motion without pain and without much load, going deep into flexion is not an issue.

I will follow your advice to do a 20% deload and go back up slowly from there.

Would the following warmup for let's say 100kg be conservative enough? 3x5 empty bar, 5x40kg, 3x60kg, 2x80kg, 3x5x100kg

As soon as EU-US travel is possible again, I will attend one of the seminars.