Jordan’s medial meniscus/scar tissue/patella

[EyeSpy21]

You're sounding a bit more positive today!  If you can get the leg straight and bent with help then it's do-able.  You have to re-train the muscles and ligaments to do it for you now.  Do you have much swelling?  After a day at work, I can hardly walk again but I know it's the swelling and stiffness.  I had such a good day yesterday and was walking well.  Now it's back to square one again tonight.  Was going to the gym, but might just sit with my feet up instead.

Have you done any exercises with a rolled up towel?  Start with it under the knee and push the knee down into it and flex your foot back, contracting the quads.  Then try with the towel under your ankle... I can't get quad to do much here but push thigh just above my knee to straighten.  Then remove the towel and push knee into flloor again... your heel should lift off the ground.  Trying to get it to match the other leg is the tough bit!!

[CStan]

Hi Jordan,
Glad to hear you are able to get back to your taekwondo classes.  That's great! Hopefully you will keep getting better and stronger 

Christine

[redtoblack]

 EyeSpy-  Thanks for the towel ideas.  I haven’t tried the one with the towel under the ankle.  The only way I can get my knee to extend is with someone pushing on it fairly hard.  I have tried to have someone push to bend it, but it just won’t go.  I was at the point where my eyes were watering from the pain and pressure and it just wouldn’t budge.  If I can get just a bit more flexion in the knee I think I will be able to get on a bike and work on the muscles more.  I keep doing my exercises and I can see some more muscle definition, but it’s still not enough.

I’m glad you are having some really good days mixed in with your bad ones.  I guess you have to just look at each day individually and focus on the ones that are good.


Christine-  Thanks for the support.  I am working as hard as I can to stay positive and keep moving forward.  I hope that your daughter is feeling better today.



As for today, my knee is sore from class last night but not that bad.  I took some Advil when I got to work since I won’t be able to keep it moving as much as I want.  My ROM is about the same, but I figure that being in class helps build my leg muscles and that just has to help.  I’m taking today off other than PT and upper body weights.  I will hit it hard again tomorrow. 

[redtoblack]

I gave in and called my GP’s nurse today to find out if I could get a Rx for PT, or if they had any suggestions on gaining ROM.  She called me back and said “you need to call your OS today.  The Doctor looked over the info from your surgery and you shouldn’t be having any problems.”

After I got of the phone with her I called my OS office and talked to his nurse.  I told her what was going on and asked if I could just get a referral for PT or have some ideas what to do.  She said that I shouldn’t be having any problems or pain now and that I need to come in tomorrow.  I told her that I really didn’t want to come in because of the money and she said that they can work something out and to be there in the morning.

Now I’m freaked out.  She wouldn’t tell me anything other than something is not right.  What could be going on in there.  It’s not like they repaired anything, all he did was cut stuff out.

Jordan 

[Kai]

Jordan.. as I told you before, I am pretty sure that you have arthrofibrosis...   scar tissue in the joint.  I am so glad that you called your doctor.  Your knee is important.  Check out the tutorial on this site to understand what it is and why you need care immediately.  Good luck.

[CStan]

Hi Jordan,
Good luck with your appointment today.  I think it's good that they want you to come in because then they can try to figure out what is going on.  Sometimes I think PT can make things worse if there is a problem. I know with my daughter, her first doctor kept sending her to PT when he was unaware that she had scar tissue and I think it only made her situation worse because she kept doing PT and irritating and aggravating her knee.  Hopefully they will cut you a break because I know you said money was an issue but either way, you have to find out what is going on with your knee.

Christine

[redtoblack]

Kai- I think you might be right.


 My OS just thinks I have done something else to my knee.  But he hasn’t any idea what.  His exact words were “that’s a real head scratchier”.   I really wanted to smack him.  I ask him, since it started within a few weeks of the surgery, if it could have something to do with scar tissue.  He just looked at me as if I had completely lost my mind and said the surgery went perfectly.  I had to try really hard to hold my tongue.  He had already made up his mind and talking to him any more about it would have been wasted on deaf ears.  The only thing good about the visit was that he prescribed PT and maybe they will be able to help, or at least be able to tell me what they think.

I just want this to be over.  I want my life back the way it was.  I know I’m not a teenager any more, but I’m definitely not an old lady.  I don’t want to spend the rest of my life not being able to do the things I love.  Sports, martial arts, running, are all a huge part of who I am.

[plantgeek58]

Jordan,
Sorry to hear about your frustrating visit with the OS.  Is he at least going to check with you in a few weeks to see how PT is going? I'm thinking you need to go get a second opinion. Sounds like this guy isn't too on the ball, and maybe he's not very familiar with arthrofibrosis.
Terre

[Kai]

I agree with plantgeek Jordan...  you need an expert in arthrofibrosis...  I am also a martial artist, and I dont want to think about life without my sport - and I say sport but you know it can be so much more.  I believe that you can get your life back BUT you need to do the right things now.  The most important is to get someone who knows all about arthrofibrosis..  and get your knee functional again.  The money and everything else needs to take a back seat to this goal.  Good luck to you.  Im thinking about you and praying for you.

[Ronxski]

Jordan, the ladies speak wisely! I hope you can find someone you trust to do whats needed and then deal with the bills later. Your health is top priority. Ron

[redtoblack]

Thanks to all of you!!!  I can’t say it enough; it’s great having people to talk to that actually understand what I’m going through. 

I had my first PT appointment today.  I think it went really well.  The lady that I’m working with took all kinds of measurements and asked a bunch of questions.  She isn’t much older than I am and she understands how important sports are and that I’m far tooooo young to not be able to do them.

We started out working on extension.  She said that was the most important thing.  Just like you all have said.  Once that is under control, she said we would move onto flexion.  It’s very exciting to me to be working with someone who is actually listening to me.  She even said that she couldn’t believe that my OS didn’t have me in PT from the beginning.  I guess that if he would have just done the meniscus it wouldn’t have been that necessary, but with the combo of the plica removal, she said that it’s very important.

I will be going to PT three times a week for three weeks.  Hopefully this will help and I can just get on with it from here.


Jordan

[CStan]

Hi Jordan,
Hopefully physical therapy will help you so that you can get back to doing the things you enjoy.  Sounds like your therapist is really concerned about helping you.  Hope it goes well for you.

Christine

[plantgeek58]

Jordan,
Great to hear you so excited! Good luck with the PT. Sounds like you're in good hands with someone really knowlegeable. I think you'll really notice a difference now. Keep us posted.
Terre

[redtoblack]

I’ve completed two sessions of PT and I am looking forward to the next seven.  Today was my last day of the oral steroids and I will be going back on Celebrex tomorrow.  I haven’t noticed a difference in the amount of swelling or stiffness, but maybe the Celebrex will do the trick.  This is the second time my OS has put me on Celebrex.  The first time it didn’t do anything, but I really didn’t have any swelling or stiffness prior to the surgery.  Hopefully this time it will do the trick.

As for the rest of it, I did go to TKD class last night.  I haven’t missed a class this month!!  I’m not able to do much more than hand techniques and super slow kicks, but it’s nice to be working out.  I haven’t been told to stop, so I guess it’s OK for me to be out there.  I really don’t know what harm it could do.

Well, it’s Valentine’s Day and I will be going out with some of my single friends.  Kind of an anti-Valentine’s celebration.  I offered to make dinner first, and then we will probably go to a movie or do some shopping.


Jordan

[Kai]

Hey there Jordan...  glad you could do the TKD thing... I know how important that is to me.   Im still so concerned about your knee Jordan.  I understand you doing drug/PT thing with your current doctors, but please dont wait too long.  If you dont start to see results very fast get a second opinion... from an arthrofibrosis expert.  I hope you have fun tonite.