Post Arthroscopic Knee Surgrey

Perhaps the plica was not the real cause of your pain. You mentioned an accident. What happened - did you injure you knee? Was a MRI done prior to the surgery? What did it say?

As to returning to sports - you need to get clearance for your ortho surgeon. From what you described happening after climbing stairs, I seriously doubt you are ready for landings associated with gymnastics. Your Physical Therapist should be able to give you exercise suggestions that won't overtax your knee.

When you say you walked up the stairs after doing your exercises, I'm not sure if you mean this was still during the therapy session or after. If you were climbing the stairs after you finished therapy, that would likely be part of the problem. After therapy you should be resting and icing the joint. It will take some time for your knee to become completely stable again after the insult of surgery, and putting too much stress on it can delay your recovery.

I know as an athlete you're anxious to get back to your normal activities, but you'll be much better served in the long run by practicing patience and giving the knee time to heal. Your doctor and therapist should be your guides in when to start strenuous activities again. You probably would be okay doing upper extremity gymnastics, but be very careful about those landings. You really don't need to be landing on your operated leg just yet. Good luck!

I would continue with the exercises as recommended by the PT, always assuming he or she knows what happened. Just take it slow and use hand rails or a cane as needed to prevent falls and twisting of your knee.