2 weeks away from an HTO

[Too Young for Knee Issues]

I'm a 33-year-old female and I have been very active. After running cross country in college, I graduated and gained some weight. After getting married and trying to plan a family, I joined Weight Watchers and I lost about 40 pounds. A lot of the weight loss was due to running. I was able to beat a lot of my 5K times from college while running road races last year. I've had recurring knee pain since last February (1 year) and the doctors finally did an MRI in January. The surgeon wants to do a High Tibial Osteotomy with opening wedge 2 weeks from today. I still want to be able to run. I'm young. My husband and I want children. I want to run & play with them. The surgeon says my running days are over, even light jogging with our dog. Do I have any alternatives? My knee has begun to bow outward and it is obvious in my gait. I remember an injury last February while running. Since then, I have had multiple doctor visits & 2 cortisone injections. Finally, I had the MRI but I wonder if the surgeon is just looking for something to fix. Evidently, I have no cartilage left in the medial compartment of my knee. Bone-on-bone rubbing is NOT FUN. He claims that I would be having a total knee replacement if i was 50 and probably will need one by then. I'm not ready for the life change involved in an HTO. Any suggestions would be great. I meet with the surgeons February 14th. Please help!

[greatfulgann]

Have you asked your doctor what are your alternatives?  Have you received a second or third opinion?

[vickster]

Have a read of this - a new device being trialled in a few places evidently for younger patients with medial compartment osteoarthritis which might be worth discussing with the experts.  I think it is rather new for anyone to be back running yet etc

http://www.kneeguru.co.uk/KNEEtalk/index.php?topic=60687.0

Also read the other HTO diaries and the 'Changing forces through the joint' section.  Look for posts by WonkeyDonkey and Guam and couple of fairly recent HTO patients (one in US, one in UK)

[Too Young for Knee Issues]

I got a 2nd opinion from a sports medicine surgeon. He has joined in and will be part of surgery if I go through with it. I'm just not ready for the life change involved.

[mmrocker13]

I had run for years on lateral AC defects and a missing meniscus (I have been a runner my entire life...as a small child, through HS and college, and afterward). Three years ago, I had a distal femoral osteotomy specifically FOR the purpose of continuing my running and riding.

I returned to running after my DFO, and feel better now than I have in decades.  The only real change in my lifestyle is that I can run and ride and do everything I want to without the constant ache of two naked bone ends whacking together. That's why I elected the DFO--to stay active.

MANY people--runners, duathletes, and triathletes--return to running and competition following their DFOs and HTOs. As far as DFOs on this board go, I can think of two or three at least who have returned to sport happily and without incident. A DFO is a bit longer/more involved than an HTO in terms of procedure and recovery, but the theory is the same.