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Twelve weeks after my meniscus surgery and I was more frustrated than I'd been in years. My surgeon called it "routine." Said I'd be back to normal activity in 8 to 10 weeks. The nurses at the surgical center kept saying how much easier the recovery would be compared to a knee replacement. But my knee was still swollen. Still catching when I'd bend it. I couldn't squat down, couldn't kneel, couldn't do any of the work I needed to do. I'm 57. Retired electrician. Been working on finishing my basement for the last year and a half. Rewiring, drywall, building out a proper workshop. It's my way to stay busy and feel useful I tore my meniscus climbing down from a stepladder with a drill in one hand. Stepped wrong and felt my knee give out. Stupid mistake. Been up and down ladders my entire career without a problem. The worst part was my doctor said my OTHER knee "showed some wear and tear" on the scans they took before surgery. "Let's get this one sorted out first, then we'll reassess." Great. So I might be doing this twice. At my 3-month check up I asked him straight if this was common, because my expectations were a lot higher. He said some people have more inflammation than others during recovery. Suggested I could try a cortisone injection if it wasn't better by month four. I'd already had a handful of cortisone shots in that knee before the surgery. That's the whole reason I agreed to the scope in the first place. So that weekend I started looking up meniscus surgery recovery forums online. People sharing their experiences, what helped them, what didn't. Lots of different answers. I kept seeing mentions of these bamboo compression sleeves. Wearing them overnight, during the day. Saying they helped with swelling and pain more than anything else they'd tried. Seemed kind of gimmicky to me. I'd tried a knee brace from the drugstore that just made everything worse. But I showed my physical therapist at the next session and asked if it was worth trying. She said compression could definitely help and to go ahead. Ordered them that night. When they showed up I put one on before bed, figured I'd see what happened. Next morning the constant tight pressure around my kneecap was noticeably better. Still sore, but that feeling was dialed way down. Started wearing it every night. During the day when I was working in the basement too. Within maybe 10 days the swelling had dropped enough that I could see my kneecap definition again. My PT noticed at the next session and said my range of motion had improved more in one week than the previous few sessions. I also ordered a second sleeve for my other knee. The one my doctor said showed wear and tear. It had been getting stiff and achy, especially after being on my feet for a few hours in the workshop. Four months later and I'm back to working on the basement three, four days a week. The knee I had surgery on is finally stable enough that I can kneel on it again. And the other one? My orthopedist said at my last visit that if the sleeve is managing the symptoms this well, keep doing what I'm doing and we'll just monitor it. I'm not ruling out needing the other knee scoped eventually. But not having that hanging over my head right now is a big relief. I wear them both every night now. My wife got a pair of their gloves for her arthritis and tells me how much they've helped. Meniscus recovery is tougher than they let on, especially when you're used to fixing everything yourself. If you're frustrated and need some relief, give these a shot. They mentioned a 60 day guarantee when I ordered so you can return them if they don't work. I wish I'd ordered them at week two instead of week twelve.