Knee Surgery - your experience?

Question

After multiple insults to it when I was younger, my knees are not in the best of shape. I know that I've worn down the cartilage on the back of my knee and need to have it scoped.
Has anyone else had this done? How bad/long is the recovery? How long until I can be physically active again? How much did it help your knee pain?

Answer 1

I had arthroscopic knee surgery in 2002. Pain lasted a year after; recovery was long and hard. The pain prior to the surgery was worse, however. The scope prevented loss of motion and the inflammation from increasing.

Get active as soon as possible after the scoping. Do not--under any circumstances--do something that requires a lot of impact, such as walking, running etc. Bike riding is great--so is swimming. The more short-range motion you do the more scar-cartilage will form and cushion the knee area. This is a good thing.

Do your excercises faithfully. They help a lot. I carried a cane for a year, too--I found that despite feeling like an elderly person, the cane actually lent me some stability when I needed it. It's best to look like a old fart for a short while than to risk re-injuring it out of pride. Make sure you use your ice, too.

Do what you have to. Take your anti-inflammatories. The knee hurts like a sumbitch when it's sick, so keep it happy.

Answer 2

Ok I had knee surgery last October when I was 14. I was in a sports collision knee to knee and continued to play point guard and catcher in basketball and softball. The surgery to scoop out all the ish wasn't that bad...it took a little over an hour to get everything all out. I was only on crutches for 2 weeks but they started me on physical therapy 4 days after surgery. After about 2 months I could ride the bike with no pain, I no longer walked with a limp and I started to get back into running. It's really not bad at all. The pain was fairly minimal as well. Just keep icing.
Now I'm 15 I just finished softball season and as a freshmen I was starting catcher and I had no problems. So it's really no big deal.

Answer 3

In February this year I had knee surgery. My right knee had a hook tear in the medial meniscus, and I also have stage 3 arthritis. It was very painful for years and so stiff I couldn't get on the bus. After surgery it is like a new knee. I had two weeks on crutches and had to take it easy for another 4 weeks. After that I was able to go up and down stairs better then I could for years. I only have two very small scars about half an inch long.

Answer 4

I have had this done twice as well as two other knee surgeries. The scope isn't that bad. I was back active in about 14 days. You can pretty much well walk on it again in about a week. It really depends on how active of a person you are.

Answer 5

Actually I never that type of surgery to my knee but one day i took a really hard fall and broke my knee so badly that they had to put a metal plate in my knee and you might have to wait about 5 to six moths intill its really better. Then after that you have to take it one step at a time.It help my knee pain kind of but I still cant fall on the knee because of the metal plate inside of the cap.

Answer 6

You have my sympathy mate. I had knee trouble (both) and went in for an arthroscopy where they put a camera in and as a result they did a bi-lateral capsule release because the lubrication fluid was not working. I was in splints for six weeks (both legs) and had to use crutches. The capsule had been blocked for so long that a lot of wear was on my right knee cap, so I had surgery again where they removed my knee cap scraped it and replaced it. This time in plaster from ankle to asre for six week then physio for three months. Still having problems with right knee so this time surgery to remove knee cap entirely. At that time to young for replacement knee cap because they only had ten years life expectancy. In plaster from Ankle to asre again for six week. Physio for months after now after 19 years I still cannot bend my knee past 90 degrees, and to top it all I have just been retired on ill health because I have torn a disc in my back that has agrivated the nerves in my other leg (back to crutches again).

I hope that everything goes ok for you and you make a full recovery. I must add that a chap in the next bed to me goes jogging past my house quite regular and when he sees me we have a chat. I think it was just the luck of the draw with me.

Good luck and take care of yourself.

Answer 7

Get your knee surgery in India.Orthopaedic surgery is very cheap in India.There is one company that is very famous in India that arranges orthopaedic surgery for foreigners in India.They are called the Forerunners Healthcare.I read a lot about them in the Newspapers and about their patient stories.

I have also read that they arrange financing for american and canadian patients as obesity surgery is not covered by insurance.They also have photos pasted of their International patients.You can checkout their website.The cost savings are incredible.As a doctor i personally believe that your sons bow leg surgery can be easily handled in India as the quality of healthcare available here is simply best in the world.The surgeons are USA/UK trained and facilities are 5 star.

My cousin got her sons leg surgery in India throught the forerunners healthcare .SHe is more than very happy with the results.She just paid 25% of the amount she was quoted in USA and is all praise for this forerunners healthcare company.hope this helps

http://www.forerunnershealthcare.com

Answer 8

My grandma had something like that done. She was able to be active working in her garden after about one and a half weekes. maybe because she's just a driven gardener. i don't know but she's also 76 so u should be just fine! I hope all goes well. God bless!