The patello-femoral joint :
lateral release working, then not 3 years on - - Posted by indigoroses (indigoroses), 27 June 2003
Hi, I'm new here, and could really use some advice/help.
I've had chondromalacia patallae since I was 12, and have been in and out of physio, O.T, hydrotheraphy, sky high on painkillers and had two arthroscopy's combined with scrapings/removing stray cartilage bits, been taping, put in braces, immobilised, you name it.
When that didn't work I had a lateral release with some tendon repair
(not intended, they just noticed it wasn't quite right) and a scraping thingy again. That was when I was 17, I'm 20 now, and didn't have a problem until about two months ago.
I'm at university, 1st year, after repeating the last year of sixth form because i missed so much time.
&my knee is hurting unbearably again.
(I can't quite believe this is happening all over again)
I went to my doctor, who couldn't actually feel much due to swelling, and my fat pad stuck out a mile. He's booked me in for physio, but I can hardly do my exercises, and said that my kneecap is very definately not in it's correct groove. He was quite horrified that I'd already had a lateral release, because he was about to suggest i considered it, since I'd had the condition for so long. Great.
He then checked my other knee, which was aching, and said that it, too is tracking. ANd it does hurt, although not as badly as the other one.
This means I'm on crutches some days, and back in the anti-inflamatory/painkiller taping circle.
Or rather I would be taping, if my skin hadn't broken into sores and blisters and roughness (I've never been allergic to my tape before. )
has anyone experienced this with a lateral release?It working for a few years, and then reverting?What are the next options? Has anyone had the other knee collapse too? How do you cope with two dodgy knees?
&also, people are telling me to rest, physios are telling me to keep active, and O/T are telling me not to overdo it, and the doctor telling me to use crutches when I need over excess painkillers, because I was left on codiene for such a long time, I became addicted, and couldn't eat due to messed up stomach lining.
has anyone had a similar thing happen to them?
sorry this is so long.
tash
Posted by Jax (Jax), 29 June 2003
Hi Tash and welcome to the board,
You are definitely in the right place if ur having problems.
I had my first LR about '94 after experiencing several dislocations/subluxations and a great deal of pain. This seemed to do the job for a year or so then the problems came back, getting more and more frequent.
They did another LR and scrapy stuff, they removed little fragments of bone etc which had collected. This seemed to work for about 2 years....then guess what?! I really don't know why they weren't successful but my knee went badly on me one night and I ended up in A&E. Monday morning i was in the OS' office and a year to the day was in surgery again... this time a TTT, LR an medial plication all in one, a much bigger deal! That was about 5 weeks ago.
I went through the whole taping thing too. I ended up having to put micropore underneath the harsh stuff coz it wrecked my skin - didn't need to shave my knee for a while after i'd whipped it off though!!!!!!
Am also going through the whole other knee hurting too. I've been told it's gone through so much stress with having to support my 'bad' knee that I will end uphaving to have that one done too. I'm just hoping that it will hold out til my other one is sorted.
Hope this had helped in some way, you need to get it sorted asap. Only do what you feel you can, you don't want to make it worse.
Feel free to message me if I can help in any way.
Good luck and best wishes
love Jax x
Posted by Iona_-Uk (Iona), 30 June 2003
Hi
I had my first LR done when I was 16 and that worked for a period of 6-9 months, then I started having the same problems as you.
I was too afraid to see a specialist and didn't do so til last year, my patella was mal tracking again and had cause lot of inflammation, my OS was surprised to find I had a plica, something which really should have been picked up on my first scope.
You need to get back, if you can, to the OS who did your operation, they may be willing to correct the problemsor at the very least offer a course of action that will help you.
Best of luck
Iona
Updated Thu Apr 29 2010
