Fat Pad And/Or Scar Tissue...What kind of rehab am I looking at?

[asu21at]

Hey everyone i'm a 21 year old male collegiate basketball player and last winter I had a patella debridement/fenestration done on both knees(right one early november, left late december) up at SteadmanHawkins by Dr Peter Millett.  Any how I rehabbed them as hard as possible and was playing ball again by mid-late March.  Anyhow everything was great until Mid July when I started playing everyday and the anterior part of my left knee started swelling and becoming painful.  If i had to pin point it it'd be the bottom left part of my knee cap or right to the upper left of my patella tendon.  Anyways I took some time off and it got no better and really took a toll on me when I ran/jumped or did any one legged squat stuff.  Anyways, I went to see Millet the last day of August and he said my fat pad had become extremely thick and he didnt think it was anythign to worry about so he gave mea  shot of cortisone under the knee cap and told me to take 3 weeks off and take anti inflammatories and it should be completely gone.  Well I did that and my first night back i jogged and jumped around on the court before it flared up and was worse than before.  So I called up there, and they told me to get an MRI.  So I had that done today and it'll be about a week before I hear the results.  Anyways, after all the reading i've done it sounds like either scar tissue or chronic fat pad inflammation.  so my question is has anybody had a fat pad excision/removal or scar tissue removal or any kind of procedure similiar?  I know all cases vary but if so how long will I be out for before I can lift or run/jump?  Does this procedure require a straight legged brace?  Any info on these procedures would be GREATLY appreciated because time is passing slowly and I want to find out as much as possible befre I hear back from Dr. Millett late next week.  And also, do these symptoms sound like anything esle?  Cartilidge damage, tendonitis, more tendonosis??  It doesn't sound like an articular cartlidge problem does it?  Thanks to everyone in advance!!

[Nettan]

I had my fat pad shaved as it got bigger and started interfere between jointsurfaces, also had some scar tissue taken out and shaving of meniscus.
Took me a while to get back but felt totally different after having this procedure done as I had better ROM and no catching after surgery.
I had no brace, did use crutches for 2 weeks and slowly got back, no restrictions, just only take it easier 2 first weeks and then move on back as you do after a meniscectomy and over all listen to your body if you get swelling.
Maybe it's time to get ride of it instead of getting cortizone for it.

HUGS NETTAN 

[kera4]

I also had scar tissue removal and trimming of fat pad on the outside of my kneecaps done in 2004. I had both knees done, 2 months apart. The first week I was on the ice machine, crutches. The next week it was some crutches/some walking. The third week I did not need the crutches. It was not bad, as surgeries go. My advice is to make sure to use the ice machine for a full week, I only used it three days on the left knee. Then on the right I used it a week. My right knee, two years later has not built up much scar/fat pad impingement. The left is starting to swell now, and catches some, so I am suspecting there is some of the same problem going on. However, the left had more scar tissue to begin with the first time around, so who knows. Good luck, and take care, Kera


1999, bi-lateral releases, 2004 scar tissue/fat pad surgeries