The patello-femoral joint :

LR problems - - Posted by andi11 (andi11), 6 January 2005

Hi there, new to the site. I could use a little advice and you all sound very knowledgable.  Five years ago I had an LR done and an Arthro shave, things seemed to go well for a few years and then got progressively worse.  Due to lack of health insurance and a job working on my feet that I couldn't quit, I have been pushing through the pain. Recently (last week) my kneecap has slipped out of place twice, and has swollen to the size of a grapefruit.  I can hear things tearing every time I stand up or sit down.  I'm curious as to what I can expect to hear from the OS( I'm waiting for a referral and to go for MRI) and why the problems, that were fixed are now back with a vengance. Is this common with LR and once the cartliage is gone under the kneecap what can be done?Any advice helpful.
Thanks,
Andi
 
Posted by Leta_MT (Leta_MT), 6 January 2005

It appears to be very common, unfortunately.   There are several of us here that have had failed LR's. Depending on the damage done to the cartilage, there are options. A tibial tubercle transfer can be done to realign your knee cap if the cartilage is still mostly intact. There are several types of TTT, some are a straight medial shift (Elmslie) and others are a shift and an offload (Fulkerson). There is info out there that will give you more detail on these procedures.

There is also the patello-femoral replacement which can be done with a TTT (if needed), if the cartilage is gone from the knee cap and only the femur is involved.

If you wish, you can IM me if you need to chat as I have had both procedures. (You can do that by clicking on my name to get to my bio page and then click on "send this person a personal message") You really need to just see what the MRI says before you waste time worrying about either procedure. I know it is horrible to have this happening to you, but worrying won't solve anything right now. Just know that there are options out there and many of us here on this site to listen and share whatever we can with you.

Leta

This old Forum was so valuable that we have kept it as an archive. It is just for reference. If you want to ask questions or offer advice, there is also a current Bulletin Board which you can access from our home page.

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