General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Knee Surgery Rss Feed  
Moderators: k9car363, alicefoeller Reply
2005-09-28 9:36 AM

User image

Wife, Mother, Friend.
2457
20001001001001002525
South
Subject: Knee Surgery

update;  my DH had knee surgery after a fall at work.  Torn ACL.  When they went in, saw more damage, all the cartilage had been blown out. 

So, fast forward post scope/surgery, he's now week 4 into PT.  Doc is already talking knee replacement within the year or next, all I know from the DH is that it involves putting teflon where the cartilage used to be.  DH says he's got to keep the PT up to prevent the bone from "roughing" around the joint where it's supposed to be smooth from cartilage. 

uh.  anyone got anything to say on this?  He was very active- black belt in karate, karate instructor, running with me, riding with the family, puttering about the house.  Now he's resigned to swimming and plopping on the sofa when he comes home from work every day with an ice pack on his knee.  He even had his first tri lined up for Oct 30- but they were nice enough to transfer it to me since he obviously can't run.



2005-09-28 6:43 PM
in reply to: #255254

User image

Elite
4344
2000200010010010025
Subject: RE: Knee Surgery

Dang Lucy,

This is the prognosis that we all fear.  I really feel for your husband.  You never know what physical activities are going to work after an injury like that.  A lot of people go on for quite a few years with a just a brace.  I hope he can adapt to working with the injury.  I have got to think that swimming is a great choice.  Weight lifting would be another thing I would spend more time doing.

The only thing I know about the knee surgery is that my sister had knee replacement surgery and for the first time in about 30 years her leg is painfree.  There are a lot of choices today to help treat the condition if it is too uncomfortable to live with it.

Best wishes for him and his recovery.

TW  

2005-09-28 9:37 PM
in reply to: #255254

User image

Wife, Mother, Friend.
2457
20001001001001002525
South
Subject: RE: Knee Surgery

I was finally able to get details from DH- maybe I should just go to his dr appts with him!

The "teflon" is his word- they're not actually going to use it.  Apparentely the surgeon left some holes hoping they would grow cartilage.  Now, does that make any sense at all?  Anyone? Sue? Bueller?

So... if he doesn't "grow" cartilage- and I was of the thought that cartilage does not replace- he'll have a knee resurfacing.  Now, that makes a heck of a lot more sense than a replacement.

When they did the scope turns out the ACL damage was fixable- and they did fix it.  But the cartilage rupture is what screwed him- DH says: dr says he'd be running by now if it wasn't for that.  

ummmm.......



Edited by Lucy 2005-09-28 9:39 PM
2005-09-29 1:13 AM
in reply to: #255254

Member
11

Subject: RE: Knee Surgery
Tell DH to take it easy!! I've had three knee surgeries now. Two were reconstructive ACL repairs. If he's had reconstructive surgery, the knee should become just as good and strong as it was before the injury. But the doc is right...the cartilidge is what is the beast. My cartlidge was partially removed, and the problem is that means bone hits bone. In time, that means possible replacement. If he is a runner, the sad reality is the training mileage will have to lessen. My 2 cents: Take it easy, build up those quads and hamstrings, and with time it will be solid. Marathons will have to ease up though! I still bike and swim with no problem though. Best of luck to him!!
2005-09-29 6:39 AM
in reply to: #255254

User image

Champion
7704
50002000500100100
Williamston, Michigan
Subject: RE: Knee Surgery

First of all who the heck is this guy....some of this makes sense and some of it doesn't.

1-ACL tear...eminently fixable...I personally think he fixed him a little too soon.  I kind of let it go because I thought he had some ligament damage on the outside of his knee, both by his exam and his MRI report and I thought that was why they were doing surgrery sooner rather than later.  I usually won't do an ACL reconstruction until the pt has no swelling and all their motion because they tend to to better with rehab if you wait.  ?  did they do anything with the ligaments ont he outside of his knee?

2-Cartilage lesion...sounds like he knocked off a piece of cartilage off the end of the bone.  This is called an osteochondral lesion..  Drilling holes in it is also called microfracture.  The idea is to let the lesion fill in with scar cartilage.  The interface between the bone and the cartilage on the end of the bone kind of sucks and that is why once in it damaged it can be a sticky problem.  All of the ways we have of treating this problem including microfracture have about a75% success rate.  Usually people are kept non-weightbearing for a period of time after a microfracture procedure.

3-It takes about 3-4 months to fully recover from the surgery he had for his ACL and up to a year for the microfracture.  I know your DH and I am sure he is pushing his limits and I know he is working.  It is normal for him to be sore and swollen at the end of the day 6 weeks post op (I think that is right)  He really should only be swimming, maybe biking and doing his PT EVERYDAY  on his own at home.

I don't want to totally slam another doc because some of this may have been lost in translation. There are other options for an osteochondral lesion besides a total joint and he has not given the micorfracture a chance.

My Opinions FWIW : 1-get another opinion from me officially or from anyone...I can give you some names.  workers comp has to honor this.  Just call the adjuster 2-DON"T GIVE UP....he is WAY too early in the post operative period to be thinking about this stuff...he needs to get over the first surgery 3-Don't let him get depressed   



Edited by sue7013 2005-09-29 6:40 AM
New Thread
General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Knee Surgery Rss Feed