About a 5 months ago I was invited to a party and was not told that it was at the beach. I was wearing high heals at the time and well I was having such a good time (kind of drunk :D) that I forgot that there were three steps going up the bar and I lost my balance. So that I did not fall in my butt I kind of twisted my body around and put all of my weight on one leg and felt a weird tug and crack in my knee. At the time since I was kind of happy (read drunk) I did not give much thought about it. The next day my knee was swollen and it hurt. I thought it was going to go away so I did not go to the doctor. Sure enough the swelling went down but it continued to hurt. It took me 4 months to go to the doctor mainly because I am a procrastinator, and was told that I needed surgery because the little bone that is in front of the knee (forgot the medical term) moved and they have to put it back. The surgery will cost me about $1200, which is a lot for me but that is not the problem. The people who I have spoken about this have all told me that they know about somebody that had the same procedure and it has not been a success. Some have told me that the people they knew either got worse or they feel the same. I can walk but I can’t run and If I have to use stairs I have to go one step at the time because I can’t put my weight on my knee. Also when I raise my leg up and bend the knee it gives a weir noise like two bones scraping each other so I know something has to be done. I will appreciate if people who have had knee surgery can tell me about their experience and let me know how things worked out.
Do you remember the name of the bone you messed up? I know a couple of people who have had knee surgery recently, but would like to know if it was the same surgery.
Also, why don’t you ask the doctor the pros & cons and the success rate? That’s basic stuff, and if you don’t like what he/she tells you, definitely get a second opinion. Heck, anytime someone tells you that you need surgery, get a second opinion about a) whether the surgery is necessary at all, b) what the other treatment options are, and c) what will happen if you wait to see if it improves on its own.
I’m telling you this from experience; I’ve had 4 surgeries on my left ankle/leg. The first two were definitely necessary (the leg bones were in multiple pieces and are now held together by a plate and a bunch of screws), but I’ve never been entirely sure about the others. Surgery should be for when you’ve exhausted all your other choices.
First - before any surgery (except emergency stuff, where there isn’t time) get a second opinion. ALWAYS. If you’re still not sure get a third.
I am not a doctor, but I have had knee problems. In some cases, you can try physical therapy type options first. If you do opt for that you have to be very diligent about the program, and it doesn’t always work. But at least you’ve exhausted other options before resorting to the knife. On the other hand, some things can only be fixed by surgery.
Knees don’t heal as fast or as well as many other joints due to their architecture and (lack of) blood supply. As a general rule, they are never quite as good after the accident as before. You will always have to be careful about re-injury. You are at higher risk of developing arthritis in that joint. Sometimes, even with the best surgeon and the best care the end result of surgery is not great. As with any surgery there are risks - infection, poor healing, etc. - and thus it should not be done lightly.
How people feel about results varies from person to person and from one circumstance to another. Someone who goes into surgery for wear-and-tear arthritis and comes out with major complications is going to be really upset. On the other hand, I just talked with an acquaintance of mine today who has been told his knee and hip will probably be stiff for life and he’ll likely limp to the end of his days – but he’s actually happy because, after hitting a lightpole at 110 mph it was questionable for a couple weeks if he’d get to keep his leg at all.
I guess what I’m saying is - approach surgery with caution, don’t expect to leap up from the bed dancing afterwards, and consider carefully risks vs. benefits.
I’ve had knee surgery, after my orthopedist tried everything (and I mean everything) to get my knee problem to go away. Most knee surgery these days is orthoscopic, meaning they cut a little hole and use a small tube or two to do most of the work – surgery like that can have a very quick recovery time. Mine was much more complex, and involved the most pain I’ve had in my life (speaking as a migraine sufferer) and the discovery that I am both intolerant of, and immune to morphine.
I don’t know what exactly the procedure you’re looking at is, so I can’t really give any specific advice. Do by all means get a second opinion – surgery is almost always a last resort.
Also, be aware that your knee will never be like new again. It’s a very complex joint, and one that undergoes a lot of stress in everyday life, and they never really heal completely. For example, since I recovered from my knee surgery, I no longer need to walk with a cane. But when the weather’s changing, particularly if there’s rain coming, or if I’m just having a bad knee day, it’ll hurt again. Nowhere near as bad as it used to, but it still hurts.
A number of people on this board have had knee surgery and gave me excellent advice when I went in for mine almost exactly a year ago.
My surgery helped me although it did not totally correct the problem that I was having. It turned out that once the surgeon went in, he discovered that it was more complicated than he anticipated. Instead of the one month total recovery time, I was in some sort of physical therapy for around six months. It is still not 100 percent, but it is better.
Take the advice of my fellow responders to your thread. So far it has been good advice. My one big question is where is this place where it is only going to cost you $1,200. This sounds fishy to me. Check on this again. This is a fraction of what I paid, and I did not go the expensive route. If I were you I would check out the hidden costs. Does this include physical therapy afterwards? Does this include the gas passers and nurses? Does this include the surgery center where this will be done? Even if you are under insurance, there are things the insurance does not cover.
I am not a doctor nor did I ever play one on television, but I did once date a girl who played a nurse on a soap opera.
I had knee surgery in May 2001. I tore the meniscus (my spelling is atrocious, I’m sure) and had bone fragments all throughout my knee. It was all done orthoscopically, which was good. The more they have to open your knee up, the more recovery time you’re looking at (what I was told by my ortho surgeon.) I also crushed the cartiliage in both of my knees about 12 years ago, so I have very little cartiliage left in my knees. They make crunchy noises when I walk or bend my knees in a sitting position.
Definitely go for the second opinion, and ask about alternatives that can be tried out before surgery. I did physical therapy for 6 months before the surgery, and that was because the tear in my knee didn’t show up at first on the MRI. (It was torn from ‘side to side’ as opposed to ‘top to bottom’.) Once that was diagnosed, they scheduled me for surgery, and I was back in physical therapy a week or so later. Follow your doctor’s directions very carefully. If they tell you what to avoid and what to do, follow it to a T. I was back to normal shortly after the surgery.
Also, double check on the price of that surgery. My surgery cost approximately $4500, and that didn’t include anaestesiologist, recovery meds, physical therapy, etc. (Thank goodness for insurance.)
Ditto on the “I am not a doctor, I don’t play on on tv, nor have I ever dated one.”
Well on the name of the bone I forgot the name. I did get a second opinion too. With the first doctor that I went he gave me a treatment of pills and injections and later injected me directly on the knee. After seeing no change that is when he recommended surgery. That is when I went to get a second opinion with another doctor and was told right from the get go that I needed surgery. As to the estimate that I got for the surgery, well I live on the border of Mexico and medical treatment is a lot cheaper over there. I am on the process of seeing a doctor here in the USA but unfortunately I don’t have insurance so in my case it will be very difficult to have the surgery here. Thank you all for your information.
Skerri, we’re knee injury buddies! How did you tear yours? I screwed mine up skiing. Luckily my father was near me and the paramedics got to me quickly. Unfortunately it was a really bad tear and they couldn’t repair it. It was actually so bad I couldn’t straighten out my knee for a while. I still get water in my knee sometimes, a real pain in the ass that most people who’ve had knee surgery get. If it heals poorly (which so far it hasn’t, but because I’m still growing I’m not fully out of the woods), I have to have another surgery on it. Bleh.
LucChiq, I agree with pretty much everything other people have said. I’m suspicious of the Mexican doctors, of course, and if you do end up having the surgery down there, what sort of after-care would you receive? Would you have physical therapy afterward?
Big Kahuna Burger, I am the Queen of Knee Injuries.
When I was 16, I jumped off a big building and landed lock-kneed on my feet on the pavement below. (I was being chased by some guy who thought I stole his beer. Long story.) I crushed the cartiliage in both knees. That was the start of my knee problems.
My left knee had a tendancy to ‘give out’ after that. The right knee, while not too much better, has never given out on me. I’ve fallen up stairs, on flat sidewalks, even just toppled over after standing in one position after a long time.
I tore the meniscus in a really silly way. You know those office chairs that spin around? Well, I was on one at my last job, and I spun it around really fast to answer the phone. I slammed my knee into the filing cabinet that was under the desk, and practically went into convulsions because it hurt so friggin’ bad. So, at least I learned to not spin the chair around without the proper clearance. Once they (finally) did the surgery, I followed all the therapy stuff, and it’s a bit better. I still get wobbly if I stand around on it too long, and if I sit with it in the same position for too long it starts to swell still. The first time I fell (about 6 months after the surgery) I called my doc to complain. I mean, in the end, I paid nearly $6K for him to make it a little less wobbly! And I’m still falling! Arrgh! He had to do the same surgery on my father, (same knee, no less) and he patiently explained that my knee will never be back to normal due to the damage. My father, on the other hand, can pick up a huge air conditioner unit and carry it across a room with no problems. But hey, at least I got the surgery on video, right?
Once they (finally) did the surgery, I followed all the therapy stuff, and it’s a bit better. I still get wobbly if I stand around on it too long, and if I sit with it in the same position for too long it starts to swell still. The first time I fell (about 6 months after the surgery) I called my doc to complain. I mean, in the end, I paid nearly $6K for him to make it a little less wobbly! And I’m still falling! Arrgh! He had to do the same surgery on my father, (same knee, no less) and he patiently explained that my knee will never be back to normal due to the damage. My father, on the other hand, can pick up a huge air conditioner unit and carry it across a room with no problems. But hey, at least I got the surgery on video, right? 