Georgie's MPFL Reconstruction, TTO and Tibial Derotational Osteotomy

[lucha86]

I agree with Emma on this hydrotherapy might be a good option as it is non weight bearing and it might help you  as well and it I'll work every muscule group  remember your quadricep the top of your leg will be weak so you might feel shaky from it but remember you have had a big operation and everyone's progress is different ask your physio for more exercises to do and explain how you feel to them ....
My physios help me when my leg doesn't react the way it should keep us posted chin up things will get better )

[Georgie28793]

No I haven't tried hydrotherapy but what a good idea!! I'm not sure how far along in my recovery I'll have to be before I can - at the moment I have only just come off the crutches so still quite shaky walking. I will ask at my next physio appointment.

[esm87]

Hi Georgie

I think I was allowed to go into the pool at about 8 weeks after my operation? So i'd definitely ask and find out! Hope you're doing well.

Emma

[Leena20]

Hi. I'm having a femoral derotation later this month and am slightly terrified about it - might need it derotated at my ankle too but think my surgeon wants to take on one thing at a time. Getting your bone cut through sounds a bit insane but I'm in so much achy pain all the time. I'm 25 and living with my parents so was just wondering how long realistically it might take to get back to work? Last time I had a double knee op the surgeon said 3 weeks but everything that could go wrong did go wrong and it ended up being 5 months!

[Georgie28793]

Hi there Leena,

Sorry for the late reply, haven't been on this site as much recently.

I haven't had a femoral derotation yet - I needed the surpramalleolar derotation on my left leg and need a femoral derotation on my right, so I can't give you any advice on that one, but I will try and give you an overview of what I've had done!

I had a few other procedures done at the same time, and honestly, the derotation was the easiest one to manage! I'm now nearly 5 months post op and apart from a bit of swelling occasionally, I honestly wouldn't be able to tell anything had happened (although obviously its straighter now!).

I was only actually in a plaster cast for about 3 weeks? Which seems ridiculous but like I said I had a few other procedures on my knee and I needed to start moving my knee which I couldn't do in the cast. At first I was SO tentative about putting my foot down, and I was actually non weight bearing for about 6 weeks - not sure if this was because of my knee ops but I'm surprised your surgeon has said three weeks?! Unless he is expecting you to work on your crutches? I have only actually gone back to work 2 weeks ago so I can understand your frustration with it actually being 5 months. I too was told I would be up and walking at 8 weeks….. lies…….

I have had quite a few issues with my knee itself, so I can't give you a clear idea of the derotation itself due to those set backs. However, it was honestly the easiest part and if you stay on the pain meds Im sure you'll be fine! I had a plate put in the stabilise it and its been fine. I will need the plate removed at some point, but its been a relatively simple recovery so far - just waiting for the bone to grow.

Sorry I can't give you a better answer - its difficult because its my knee thats causing the problem. If it were just for my ankle I probably would have been back at work ages ago! What do you do for work? If its an office based job and you can get around easily on crutches I'd say you probably go back after three weeks - but I still had a lot of pain then and would have found it hard to concentrate.

Hope this helps, if you have any more questions feel free to ask. Good luck with your procedure!

[Georgie28793]

just an update on my progress for a) incase anyone is reading this and b) to remind myself of the slow journey when the time comes to have the same surgeries done on my right leg!

on the 24th it was exactly six months since my op. It has definitely been a struggle that I was not prepared for, both physically and mentally! When it comes to having my right leg done I will definitely try to build more quad muscles prior to surgery and also prepare myself mentally for a long old recovery - instead of being disappointed at my lack of progress 12 weeks in.

As for the recovery itself, I have recently (as in 3 weeks ago) got a new physio and she is brilliant. I have had three sessions of ultra sound with her focusing on the MPFL scar site due to some scar tissue that is affecting my ROM. Tomorrow I am seeing the surgeon to see if its worth having a manipulation under anaesthetic to break up the remaining scar tissue - fingers crossed it will be okay to just continue with physio and ultra sound and I won't need the MUA.

I am also there to discuss getting the hardware removed from my leg - the plate and screws from my derotation osteotomy and one massive screw from the TTO which at the moment protrudes out of my knee about 1.5 cm!! Really hope I can get that one out definitely.

As for my gait and ROM I have found that after going back to work and being on my feet all day, it suddenly got better after about 2.5/3 weeks. I was suddenly able to walk with weight on my bent knee, stairs were suddenly a lot easier and I found after stretching my quad out 5 times a day that the ROM has increased and my whole leg just feels a lot more 'together'. Really positive as for a while I seemed to have plateaued with the recovery but a lot more promising now.

I have been riding again and my new straight leg and working knee feel better than ever riding-wise. (bit sore afterwards but just keep applying ice/heat)

Have found using these knee 'sock' things that have little compartments which you can put heat patches in have really helped keep my knee from stiffening up after riding or after being on my feet all day at work. Would definitely recommend to anyone suffering from sore MPFL site further down the recovery process.

I am off travelling May 2016 so I am hoping that by early next year my left leg saga will be finished and I can look forward to getting my right leg done on my return!

[Lioness_20]

Hi Do you still come online on the website. I am exactly your age and have the same surgeon as you. I had a trochleoplasty and MPFL recon and was wondering how you are now? I am currently 2 and a half months pre op. Hope to hear back from you

[Georgie28793]

Hi Do you still come online on the website. I am exactly your age and have the same surgeon as you. I had a trochleoplasty and MPFL recon and was wondering how you are now? I am currently 2 and a half months pre op. Hope to hear back from you

Hi!
I just got this notification in my junk mail - how are you doing? It’s funny you messaged here because I actually had my whole other leg done on the 26th July so am just a few weeks further along than you.
My left leg is (touch wood) PERFECT!!! I think you’ll be just fine - my left leg is so good that when I dislocated my right kneecap I was adamant to have Mr Chissell again. I just had MPFL recon, TTT, derotational osteotomy at the ankle as well as micro fracture done to promote “fake” cartilage growth. I needed an arthroscopy to clean out my knee as I also had a 50p size chunk of cartilage come loose. I’m just 13 weeks post op and walking around without crutches, just started back at the gym. How are you finding things after the trochleoplasty? Nice to hear from you!

[Lioness_20]

This is so strange. I had my operation the same day as you? Was it at frimley park. I think I saw you on the same ward as me. But when I woke up you wasn’t on the same bay any more. Think I saw you on your pre op too? I had to go back on the 4th of this month to have a manipulation  my physio was so bad, they gave me no appointments for around 5 weeks! But other that that it’s been really good. I was weight baring from day one although barely. Came off crutches after 6 weeks. It’s such a long recovery though and wasn’t really ready for how mentally draining it is. I go back on the 5th of December too see where to go next as I also need the other knee doing too. Wow it seems like you have had an awful lot of work done to your knees and ankle sounds really painful too. Although for me the mpfl recon stuff has seemed to be the longest part for healing. Hope to hear back from you soon.

[Georgie28793]

Hahahha no way!!!!!!! Oh my gosh that’s so funny, were you the only other young girl in there on the very end?! That means you saw me bawling my eyes out then hahaha Mr Chissells registrar came around to see me before the anaesthetist and told me I wouldn’t be having a general like last time and that i’d Be sedated and I absolutely freaked out hahahah wow that’s so strange!!! I remember you. I was moved to another room because I had to stay in for 3 days.
That’s so mental. How is the mpfl feeling? Mine definitely hurts too, in fact i’d say that was the worst part of my surgery long term as I’m still feeling it.
Wow your physio sounds dreadful! Is that also at Frimley? How are you doing now? I know what you mean about being mentally draining - it gets to a point where you just want to be back to normal. But honestly my left leg is so so so good now that I willingly had my other one done knowing how successful the first op was. Do you need the same procedures done in your other leg? How is everything with the trochleoplasty? That sounds like a crazy surgery!!
How did the manipulation go? My physio said I might need one early on but luckily I haven’t because I read up on them and they sound awful! I’ll see if I can privately message you with my email address.
So weird!!!

[Lioness_20]

Yeah I was in the very first bed as you walked in the bay. I didn’t see you cry though. I saw MR Chissell before and he also said about the whole being sedated part. I was told before that it would be general but when I got there  and they said I’m having a spinal block and sedation. I was super scared I thought I was going to be able to feel it! But it was fine I didn’t feel a thing a was fast asleep so wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference between sedation and general anaesthesia. Hated having the spinal block though it was horrible. That’s a shame you got moved I was also in for 3 days would have been nice to have someone to talk to the same age as the ladies were in there 60s but they were lovely.
The MPFL part is getting there slowly. It still hurts to press where the incisions are, does yours?
Im from Maidstone, Kent so my physio is in Maidstone. They are saying they will be discharging me in 3 weeks , it’s mad I’m not even running or twisting or going up and down the stairs comfortably yet.
Do you do any sports? If so was you able to get back to it? I play Sunday league football and dying to get back on the pitch but it seems so far away until I can (if I ever can).
I have to have exactly all the same procedures on my left knee too, I Have damaged my cartilage in my left knee so not sure if I will have a little extra done on it? I see Mr Chissell again on the 5th December so will find out when this will be happening. Did you have to wait 2 years or did you choose to wait that long between each op? Are you all finished with surgery on your knees or do you still need more?
I was told by so many surgeons how big the trochleoplasty op is but honestly it was absolutely fine so not to worried about having it done again. That’s why I had to come to Frimely as Mr Chissell is one of a handful of surgeons in the UK that can do it.
The manipulation went fine and am finally bending my knee so much better. I can nearly bend it all the way back to my bum, where as before it was only 45 degrees.
How are you getting on, sorry for the essay just so many questions and so shocked that out of everyone I could have spoke to I found your blog just so strange hahah.