Guest guest Posted September 2, 2008 Report Share Posted September 2, 2008 I have uploaded some photos of my arthroscopic surgery in July 2008. They are in the " Photos " section under the heading " Tom's knee. " My doctor has requested approval from worker's comp. for the Carticel procedure. As you can see, my kneecap is in need of repair. The pain continues to limit my activities. I am told that without the surgery, I will have arthritis and one day possibly require a knee replacement. I have uncovered two alternatives to the Carticel procedure: 1. Microfracture, a procedure that may only last from 1-2 years. -or- 2. Modifying activities, effectively ending my career as a firefighter. Thank you all very much for your help thus far. I am always open to comments or advice, so please don't hesitate to respond. I am also here to help anyone else and keep this forum going. I'll keep you posted with my progress. Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 2, 2008 Report Share Posted September 2, 2008 Tom, That knee looks pretty bad. (From a non Doc viewpoint) About Microfracture, I am personally not too keen on that procedure. The result is really not cartilage and is not very strong. I would push for the Carticel myself. I did not have damage to the patella but I believe Aussie Mark did and he has recovered nicely. Mark, chime in!!! Anyway, it takes a LONG time to recover, but then again I am over 50 years old. For a young man such as yourself, I think the recovery will be quicker. Do you know if they are doing any realignment of the knee? I am not running or kneeling, but I can sit Indian style and walk stairs. If I worked harder, I would be better off. (LAZY!!!) Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 2, 2008 Report Share Posted September 2, 2008 Don'tcha love those alternatives to the carticel procedure? Some people here have had that done (carticel). It involves a long healing process, and I haven't been doing my due diligence (isn't that what I'm supposed to say if I watch any Law & Order program & other crime shows? Why do we love crime shows? Crime and medicine. Fact or fiction. That's what we love. And good science fiction. Although I loved " Leon " , " Memento " , and " Dead Man " (really. If you're at all existentialist, I highly recommend these movies, esp. Leon and Dead Man)). But I digress. I hope the carticel thing works for you. I've found taping my kneecap has worked pretty good, and one time a hyaluronic acid injection lasted a whole year. Ann Tom's Knee I have uploaded some photos of my arthroscopic surgery in July 2008. They are in the " Photos " section under the heading " Tom's knee. " My doctor has requested approval from worker's comp. for the Carticel procedure. As you can see, my kneecap is in need of repair. The pain continues to limit my activities. I am told that without the surgery, I will have arthritis and one day possibly require a knee replacement. I have uncovered two alternatives to the Carticel procedure: 1. Microfracture, a procedure that may only last from 1-2 years. -or- 2. Modifying activities, effectively ending my career as a firefighter. Thank you all very much for your help thus far. I am always open to comments or advice, so please don't hesitate to respond. I am also here to help anyone else and keep this forum going. I'll keep you posted with my progress. Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 2, 2008 Report Share Posted September 2, 2008 Tom, Here is a thread from a guy here in Houston. It is a lengthy discussion on his recovery from Carticel. Hope it helps: http://www.kneeguru.co.uk/KNEEtalk/index.php?topic=38110.0 Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 3, 2008 Report Share Posted September 3, 2008 I did a lot of research on my patella cartilage damage, and held out for Carticel. The studies show that *if* it's done *with* a realignment to prevent further damage, the results are pretty good. I'm just over 6 months into my recovery, and things are going pretty well. My rehab was a bit slowed because I didn't recover ROM as fast as they'd like, but I have just been cleared to start leg presses and regular flutter kick in the pool. I still have some swelling and mild-moderate pain, but since I started water therapy about two months ago, my pain levels have dropped significantly and I'm able to do a lot more. I'm not going to try to go back to any of my " regular " activities until at least a year post-op and some of them (like martial arts) are still a maybe for even later. But so far, everything is looking fabulous, and I'm glad I did the surgery. I do not think microfracture is a good alternative for the patella given the research I've done. The patella has too severe of shear forces put against it for the type of tissue that's built up with microfracture. Good luck! Meg F. On 9/2/08, Tom70177 <tom70177@...> wrote: > > I have uploaded some photos of my arthroscopic surgery in July 2008. > They are in the " Photos " section under the heading " Tom's knee. " > > My doctor has requested approval from worker's comp. for the Carticel > procedure. As you can see, my kneecap is in need of repair. The pain > continues to limit my activities. I am told that without the surgery, > I will have arthritis and one day possibly require a knee replacement. > > I have uncovered two alternatives to the Carticel procedure: 1. > Microfracture, a procedure that may only last from 1-2 years. -or- > 2. Modifying activities, effectively ending my career as a firefighter. > > Thank you all very much for your help thus far. I am always open to > comments or advice, so please don't hesitate to respond. I am also > here to help anyone else and keep this forum going. I'll keep you > posted with my progress. > > Tom > > > -- The only way out is through. (Knee post-op diary at http://www.thefisher.net) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 3, 2008 Report Share Posted September 3, 2008 Thanks Don. That is a big help. Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 3, 2008 Report Share Posted September 3, 2008 They are not doing any realignment. The doctor seems to think that the injury was from a traumatic impact and not misalignment - I didn't know that was possible. Who'd of thunk? Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 30, 2008 Report Share Posted September 30, 2008 My surgery is scheduled for October 24th. I just got approved for 6 more PT sessions and will take advantage of them. I already completed 12 PT sessions after my meniscectomy / cartilage harvest. I want to be a strong as possible going into the Carticel surgery. Wish me luck! I'm not looking forward to the long recovery. Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 1, 2008 Report Share Posted October 1, 2008 Good luck Tom. * *I assume you have help at the house after surgery? What type of crutches are you using. I STRONGLY recommend the forearm style. Don On 9/30/08, Tom70177 <tom70177@...> wrote: > > My surgery is scheduled for October 24th. I just got approved for 6 > more PT sessions and will take advantage of them. I already completed > 12 PT sessions after my meniscectomy / cartilage harvest. I want to > be a strong as possible going into the Carticel surgery. > > Wish me luck! I'm not looking forward to the long recovery. > > Tom > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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