Meniscus Tear and Loss of Mobility

by John
(Manchester, UK)

I tore my meniscus playing football 7 weeks ago and still can not bend my knee for example to get into the squat position due to the pain.

Initially after injury i was unable to bend or fully straighten the knee but this has now improved so that i can fully straighten my knee and can bend the knee more too.

I have seen substantial improvements in my ability to bend my knee in the last couple of weeks but frustratingly it is still far from returning to the pre-injury state of mobility.

Assuming I do not need surgery (i have been advised by a doctor to give it time as he thinks it may heal on its own without requiring surgery.)
Given the amount of time elapsed since my injury, is it normal that after seven weeks i have still not regained full mobility?

If so, typically how long can it take before i get back full mobility and am able to play sports again?

Is there anything i can do (other than surgery) to accelerate recovery at this stage, for example would you advise i push past the pain barrier and try to bend it a little more each day over a period of time?

I am doing some knee exercises suggested by my doctor too.