Kneecap Realignment Surgery

[EBondo 233]

I just got back from the doctor a little bit ago to get the MRI's I had done on my knee looked at.

The MRI report said no damage, however, due to my past history of knee problems, he gave me this analogy. He said, if he gave me an MRI for a headache, the MRI would show my head is normal (well, not really "normal" :D ), however, there is still damage done. This is the same thing as my knee.

So the doctor prescribed me a trial of PT, and wants to see me back in a month. He said if the pain in my knee (catching, click, severe pain) still is there, to seriously contemplate knee realignment surgery to put a scope in my knee to realign my patellar.

This scared the crap out of me, working full-time and going to school as well. Have any of you on here had this done? What's the procedure like? How about recovery time? I hope it doesn't come down to this, but I'm trying to look at it from all possible angles.

[TBLfan 25]

I haven't had surgery on my knee but it was highly recommended. I was experiencing similar symptoms, PT actually really helped. It still hurts and my knee dislocates when it feels like it but it's live-able. It doesn't lock up as much as it used to, it doesn't really click anymore but occasionally it feels like something is grinding in the joint.

[EBondo 233]

If you could go back and do it, would you have?

[TBLfan 25]

I would avoid surgery if it's possible... but there's no guarantee in your situation what exactly would be best. The more doctor opinions you can get, the better. Listen to them and weigh your options. Either way, it's not going to be fun but it could be a hell of a lot worse.

I honestly can't tell you if I'd go back and have surgery, I don't know how well the surgery would have helped.

[EBondo 233]

Yeah, thanks a lot TBL. I'm not sure what to do after the PT, I hope it really helps. I mean, besides myself, this doctor I saw knows my knees the best. I've been seeing him ever since I dislocated my knee the first time, four years ago, and since then I've had more dislocations and a torn ACL (both knees combined).

[TBLfan 25]

No problem man. My main point is to not stress over it, you'd be surprised how much PT can help put-off or eliminate the need for surgery. Either way, it's not worth stressing over, it could be worse.

[fifthlinegoon 0]

Yeah, thanks a lot TBL. I'm not sure what to do after the PT, I hope it really helps. I mean, besides myself, this doctor I saw knows my knees the best. I've been seeing him ever since I dislocated my knee the first time, four years ago, and since then I've had more dislocations and a torn ACL (both knees combined).

Definately get a second and third opinion, it seems like your doctor isn't fixing the problem very well.

[chk hrd 164]

I have the same issue caused by a groove in the underside of the knee cap. I took some time off of hockey to let the swelling go down and pain go away. I wear a neoprene knee wrap that has the little hole for the knee cap. It seems to help. I get pain every now and then but not like before and anything beats getting cut on.

[WSjo22 1]

I don't want to tell you what to do or even lead you in one way or another, but I'm around your age I just turned 22 and I'm in a similar situation as you except with both shoulders..... I've been doing rehab and physical therapy on and off since I was 15 for both shoulders because of degenerative joints. My doctors won't do surgery to replace them because the life span of the replacements is only like ten years so they only give me shots for pain and prescribe rehab and therapy to try and ease the pain till they decide I'm old enough to get them replaced. 75% of my life is spent in mostly excruciating pain and I wish they would just do the surgeries.

[frankie56 0]

Be careful with the experience of others, it may not apply to you. There are a million things that can go wring with a knee. You certainly should get a second opinion if you are not sure what you want to do.

To get the most out of your doctor visit, you need to know exactly what your expectations are and express them to you doc. It can be overwhelming if you are not prepared.

[kovyperron5727 0]

Sounds awful EBondo. Good luck to you man, hope all goes well with the PT

[Jordan 13]

Had a similar procedure called a lateral release they cut the outer tendon on the patella to get it to track straighter. The goal was to relieve pain and grinding caused by the patell tracking outward as the knee flexed...a well worn groove in the back of the knee cap made that motion bothersome and at times fairly painful.

Okay enough of that: the key question is was it worth it, would I do it again....answer for me is no.

The result was that you go through a fair amount of discomfort and a lot of rehab. While the symptoms are reduced, to me they were sort of exchanged for other ones.

I would say that each situation is unique, but don't race to the O.R.

[EBondo 233]

Just got back from my first session of PT. Holy crap my knee hurts. And muscle stimulators are still a bitch, even more so than they used to.

[Rocketking 0]

I had pretty serious kneecap alignment problems 15 or so years ago.

I had a re-alignment surgery where the doc cut away some tissue on the side of the kneecap it was biased to (kneecap wanted to ride outwardly).

Did my PT and that issue has been Golden ever since.

It may sound like an open & shut deal but believe me it wasn't. It took about 3 years for the PT - episodes - surgery - PT to work its course.

I had 2 of the best docs I could find in LA - that was probably the best move I made. Dr Jobe in LA and Dr Jackson in LB, they both came to the exact same conclusion about what my knee needed. So I had the lateral release performed by Dr Jackson.

Good luck, and again, make sure you get the best doc you can find even if its only for an evaluation.

[gxc999 7]

I have a fun genetic disorder where my right kneecap is approx 3/4ths of an inch too far inside. It has caused me a lot of pain, unusual problems and difficulty. I once showed it to a Doctor and he kind of laughed at the idea of me playing hockey, ever. It took me a long time to build it up but the key for me was to build up all the surrounding muscles as much as I could and that has helped a lot. As a result, my right foot also has a ton of problems. I've investigated the surgical options and none seem to be anything close to a sure fire bet. I totally agree with TBL about physical therapy.