Re: Newly Diagnosed with Retropatella Chondromalacia......

[Guest guest]

Hi to start with my name is , so it will be easier than calling

me XYZ!

My heel pain isn't the contributing factor of my knee problems

because I've had knee problems a lot longer than foot problems. It's

just that my knee pain didn't get more severe until after. So it

could have contributed in making the knee pain worse but it wasn't

the underlying cause.

Chrondmalacia patella sometimes can just happen because of how you

walk and use the muslces without having a clue your doing it. When

the muscle on (for example my left knee) the left side of my knee

tightens, it pulls my knee cap slightly over with time and the

muscle on the right side of my knee cap weakens. Espeically when

kneeling, going down stairs, ect, causes a " catching " or grinding

sensation in my knee because it's no long aligned. With

physiotherapy which I started today, it will be a program to

strength the weak muscle and loosen up the one that's pulling my

knee out of wack.

I look at surgery this way... I haven't been able to walk properly

for a long time anyways, and I've been dealing with this for so long

that I'm willing to take the chance of it possibilty helping. My

physio therapist said that I have one of the worst cases of CP she's

ever dealt with, which doesn't really strike that much confidence

that just fixing my heel pain will really do much to help my knee.

Actually I have very strong thigh muscles even through all this,

because of the physical activies I continued to do over the years of

waiting for a diagnosis, like dancing and bike riding.

Luckily my heel pain doesn't really bother me much, I just couldn't

stand still in one place for hours at a time. I just get a sore heel

but a lot faster than most people do.

I will follow my physios advice to help strength my muscles, if for

some miracle it starts to get better and tolerable I may cancel

surgery but for now it's something I will plan on getting done.

[Guest guest]

Hey ....!!!

good story .... now i can equate to some of your issues.

I repeat - if you have a patellae shave you could be out of action

for 1 - 6 months as all the cartilage that has softened and/or

shredded will be removed...and it is very painfull..!!!..and results

are not guaranteed.why not just ask for a arthroscopy and get some

pictures done so you can discuss with OS before he touches anything??

Mark

>

> Hi to start with my name is , so it will be easier than calling

> me XYZ!

>

> My heel pain isn't the contributing factor of my knee problems

> because I've had knee problems a lot longer than foot problems.

It's

> just that my knee pain didn't get more severe until after. So it

> could have contributed in making the knee pain worse but it wasn't

> the underlying cause.

>

> Chrondmalacia patella sometimes can just happen because of how you

> walk and use the muslces without having a clue your doing it. When

> the muscle on (for example my left knee) the left side of my knee

> tightens, it pulls my knee cap slightly over with time and the

> muscle on the right side of my knee cap weakens. Espeically when

> kneeling, going down stairs, ect, causes a " catching " or grinding

> sensation in my knee because it's no long aligned. With

> physiotherapy which I started today, it will be a program to

> strength the weak muscle and loosen up the one that's pulling my

> knee out of wack.

>

> I look at surgery this way... I haven't been able to walk properly

> for a long time anyways, and I've been dealing with this for so

long

> that I'm willing to take the chance of it possibilty helping. My

> physio therapist said that I have one of the worst cases of CP

she's

> ever dealt with, which doesn't really strike that much confidence

> that just fixing my heel pain will really do much to help my knee.

>

> Actually I have very strong thigh muscles even through all this,

> because of the physical activies I continued to do over the years

of

> waiting for a diagnosis, like dancing and bike riding.

>

> Luckily my heel pain doesn't really bother me much, I just couldn't

> stand still in one place for hours at a time. I just get a sore

heel

> but a lot faster than most people do.

>

> I will follow my physios advice to help strength my muscles, if for

> some miracle it starts to get better and tolerable I may cancel

> surgery but for now it's something I will plan on getting done.

>

[Guest guest]

Well being out of action isn't necessarily something that will affect

me much.. I am an artist who works at home... I don't exactly have a

physical job and I can take it easy. At this point, the amount of

grinding going on with my leg is ridiculous. I'm sick of walking, or

should I say, limping around the house, barely being able to extend my

leg cause the grinding hurts so much. All I know is that whatever I've

been trying to do for the last 3 years to fix my leg has not helped so

I'm pretty much running out of options.

[Guest guest]

.... apart from the wooden leg option ... why not ask your OS

about the new carticel implants or a knee transplant?

Usually a bloke called Doug (who mediates this site) would have

suggested some options to you - in particular research?

I would not just let an OS do work on your patellae unless you had

explored all other options???

where is Doug anyway??

Mark

>

> Well being out of action isn't necessarily something that will affect

> me much.. I am an artist who works at home... I don't exactly have a

> physical job and I can take it easy. At this point, the amount of

> grinding going on with my leg is ridiculous. I'm sick of walking, or

> should I say, limping around the house, barely being able to extend

my

> leg cause the grinding hurts so much. All I know is that whatever

I've

> been trying to do for the last 3 years to fix my leg has not helped

so

> I'm pretty much running out of options.

>

[Guest guest]

Wouldn't something like an implant or a knee transplant be even more

drastic of a surgery then a shave???

>

> .... apart from the wooden leg option ... why not ask your OS

> about the new carticel implants or a knee transplant?

>

> Usually a bloke called Doug (who mediates this site) would have

> suggested some options to you - in particular research?

>

> I would not just let an OS do work on your patellae unless you had

> explored all other options???

>

> where is Doug anyway??

>

> Mark

[Guest guest]

Because you are about to give away good cartilage surface area during

a shave just to be able to remove some softened/ shredded areas ...

Do you know what an OS does during a shave? ... they are exposing

bone..!!!

A few people have added to this comment by warning you could be

disabled for months?...could your pain be managed by pain killers for

example?

Have you had an MRI to see what the condition of your patellae surace

looks like?

All my drama's for the last 12 years started with a so-called

simple " shave " ..!!!

> >

> > .... apart from the wooden leg option ... why not ask your

OS

> > about the new carticel implants or a knee transplant?

> >

> > Usually a bloke called Doug (who mediates this site) would have

> > suggested some options to you - in particular research?

> >

> > I would not just let an OS do work on your patellae unless you

had

> > explored all other options???

> >

> > where is Doug anyway??

> >

> > Mark

>

[Guest guest]

Blimey! thanks for the warnings, I'm scheduled to go in in September. I've

already said NO WAY to a lateral release, so the OS comforted me with the shave

option, hmm...not so sure now. I'm gonna have to do some research here. All I

wanna know is what sort of damage I've got inside, maybe I'll just get them to

flush out the joint and leave it at that for now

cheers

Re: Newly Diagnosed with Retropatella

Chondromalacia......

Because you are about to give away good cartilage surface area during

a shave just to be able to remove some softened/ shredded areas ...

Do you know what an OS does during a shave? ... they are exposing

bone..!!!

A few people have added to this comment by warning you could be

disabled for months?...could your pain be managed by pain killers for

example?

Have you had an MRI to see what the condition of your patellae surace

looks like?

All my drama's for the last 12 years started with a so-called

simple " shave " ..!!!

> >

> > .... apart from the wooden leg option ... why not ask your

OS

> > about the new carticel implants or a knee transplant?

> >

> > Usually a bloke called Doug (who mediates this site) would have

> > suggested some options to you - in particular research?

> >

> > I would not just let an OS do work on your patellae unless you

had

> > explored all other options???

> >

> > where is Doug anyway??

> >

> > Mark

>

[Guest guest]

Hey ...

that is one good thing OS's can do and can't stuff up ... a nice

flush out (grease and oil) with a bit of anaesthetic thrown in and

you are perfectly good for a few days afterwards ... aaaaahhhh

instant relief!!!

Absolutely ask for pictures/video while he is in there looking about

and make choices/ decisions together before major changes are made -

if anything i have learnt NEVER LET AN OS JUST GO FOR IT .. it only

takes a week to get over an inspection arthroscopy but as soon as you

start playing around with

cartilage/tissue/nerves/bone/ligaments/muscles/tendons/ then like my

OS says ... he could do the same operation 8 times and get 8

different results!!...and not all good.

Surgery is not a perfected science!!..only an educated guess..!!

(hey .. did you like that??)

Mark

> > >

> > > .... apart from the wooden leg option ... why not ask your

> OS

> > > about the new carticel implants or a knee transplant?

> > >

> > > Usually a bloke called Doug (who mediates this site) would have

> > > suggested some options to you - in particular research?

> > >

> > > I would not just let an OS do work on your patellae unless you

> had

> > > explored all other options???

> > >

> > > where is Doug anyway??

> > >

> > > Mark

> >

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Whoever said they shave the cartilage down to bone -- that's not what my OS did

to me. He trimmed the rough parts down to good cartilage. (Didn't do any

good.)

Also, I'd like to put in a word for lateral release. I had perfect results from

the one I had done in 1995. I was totally pain free for 4 years. Then I got a

job where I had to sit w/my feet under a desk, and both IT bands tightened up so

I could hardly do anything. Cortisone shot in L leg under the band worked

great, no recurrence. Ditto in R leg made it somewhat better but not a lot.

Then I think scar tissue formed from the lat. rel. I think this would not have

happened if I'd known (a) that the doc cut the vastus lateralis some during the

lat. release (they don't have to -- you can ask them not to -- I think it's

stupid to), and ( that I was growing scar tissue in there because of that. If

I'd know that, I would have taken measures to keep the scar tissue from growing

and tightening (massage with a pencil eraser w/good hand cream or massage cream,

and quad stretches when muscles are warmed up, including turning away from the

side with the release to stretch the vastus lateralis more). So if your kneecap

is tracking laterally, I think a lateral release is the way to go, the least

invasive, and most likely to fix it as long as you don't allow scar tissue to

grow & tighten there.

Ann

Re: Newly Diagnosed with Retropatella

Chondromalacia......

Because you are about to give away good cartilage surface area during

a shave just to be able to remove some softened/ shredded areas ...

Do you know what an OS does during a shave? ... they are exposing

bone..!!!

A few people have added to this comment by warning you could be

disabled for months?...could your pain be managed by pain killers for

example?

Have you had an MRI to see what the condition of your patellae surace

looks like?

All my drama's for the last 12 years started with a so-called

simple " shave " ..!!!

> >

> > .... apart from the wooden leg option ... why not ask your

OS

> > about the new carticel implants or a knee transplant?

> >

> > Usually a bloke called Doug (who mediates this site) would have

> > suggested some options to you - in particular research?

> >

> > I would not just let an OS do work on your patellae unless you

had

> > explored all other options???

> >

> > where is Doug anyway??

> >

> > Mark

>

[Guest guest]

Hey Ann... so what are you doing now to sort out the scar tissue...?

> > >

> > > .... apart from the wooden leg option ... why not ask

your

> OS

> > > about the new carticel implants or a knee transplant?

> > >

> > > Usually a bloke called Doug (who mediates this site) would

have

> > > suggested some options to you - in particular research?

> > >

> > > I would not just let an OS do work on your patellae unless

you

> had

> > > explored all other options???

> > >

> > > where is Doug anyway??

> > >

> > > Mark

> >

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Re: Newly Diagnosed with Retropatella

Chondromalacia......

Surgery is not a perfected science!!..only an educated guess..!!

(hey .. did you like that??)

That's why they say doctors are " practicing " . Beyond that, my main

concern would be to get a doctor who I could trust to do surgery first, then

consider giving him some leeway when he actually does surgery. Just my

experience.

Mike

MT

[Guest guest]

To answer the two questions here... I had two MRI's done, one about

2 weeks ago on my knee and one 3 months ago on my foot/ankle. All my

orthopedic surgeon said is that the MRI's " didn't help very much. "

And that he figured I had softening of the patella, and my physio

therapist confirmed she believe it too because of how my knee was

catching and scraping when fully extended. And no the pain can't be

managed with pain killers, even when I take strong pain killers I

still feel the pain. Sometimes I just take advil to reduce the

swelling.

>

> Because you are about to give away good cartilage surface area

during

> a shave just to be able to remove some softened/ shredded

areas ...

> Do you know what an OS does during a shave? ... they are exposing

> bone..!!!

>

> A few people have added to this comment by warning you could be

> disabled for months?...could your pain be managed by pain killers

for

> example?

>

> Have you had an MRI to see what the condition of your patellae

surace

> looks like?

>

> All my drama's for the last 12 years started with a so-called

> simple " shave " ..!!!