Sarah,
The only one I know of posting here with a success story is Laurie. She had her condition identified very quickly and sought help from one of the best surgeons in the country. It took her about two years, but I believe she is back running and skiing.
I have the same doctor, but a different set of underlying conditions (patellar mal-tracking which is congenital, patella baja, and patellar osteoarthritis) and my story hasn't been as successful. My pain levels are still very, very high and I don't have a lot of functional use of my knee for anything but the most basic of activities.
However, I'm much better than I was before my last surgery a year ago--it was a qualified success that helped me to walk without a limp, gain full extension and flexion, and helped reduce some of the chronic swelling. I'm still dealing with mechanical problems that resulted from the scar tissue.
Find a really good doctor, preferrably one who has done a lot of research and publishing about arthrofibrosis. Then find a PT who knows as much as the doctor does, because this is a condition that doesn't respond well to standard knee therapies...in fact, these can make things worse.
Best of luck.
Heather
