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last october i had a "lateral release" surgery done on my knee, which is a procedure where they slice the tendon around the knee to release some of the preasure on the knee-cap. It was great all last winter, but its starting to get bad again, ive been taking pain meds and i dont want to keep resorting to that and end up with stomach or kindey problems later...ive been in and out of physical therapy for years, both before and after the surgery and it doesnt help. the doctor the preformed my surgery now has an office in SC and im in PA...what should i do?? Please give me some options because im tired of being in pain all the time...knee replacement is out of the question because im only 22

2006-08-30 03:11:53 · 1 answers · asked by sassy2sloppy 2 in Health General Health Care Pain & Pain Management

1 answers

Surgery did not fix your problem because it did not address WHY you have tension around your knee in the first place. May I offer you my insights based on several years of helping people with similar pain?

I specialize in Neuromuscular Therapy and treating chronic pain conditions. Pressure on the lateral knee and patella (kneecap) typically has two causes: 1) Pressure exerted by overly tight muscles on the thigh which attach around the knee, or, 2) a hip that's out of proper alignment (very common), which also causes muscle strain.

Two big muscles that would anchor the patella laterally when hypertonic are the vastus lateralis, which is one of the four quadriceps muscles, and the iliotibial band, or ITB for short. The ITB is not really a muscle, it is a tough, thin tendon that extends all the way from your pelvis the entire length of your thigh and finally attaches to the tibia lateral to the patella. What's important in your case is that both of these structures, when hypertonic (abnormally tight), will traction the patella laterally. If severe enough they will literally immobilize the patella and prevent normal movement.

A misaligned hip, caused by some thigh or gluteul muscles ( buttocks) being tighter or stronger than others, will throw off proper alignment between the hip and knee. As your body tries to compensate for this imbalance sometimes its only option is to lock down some muscles in order to protect the knee joint.

The reason the pain came back again after surgery is that the muscles that caused the problem in the first place were still tight and still levering on your knee. You didn't need surgery, you needed to get those muscles released (relaxed) which would remove the strain from the joint. Doctors do not look at muscles or other soft tissues as the source of pain; they're not trained to. However, studies, and my own professional experience, prove that most pain is caused by tight muscles, tendons and ligaments. Remove the strain and the pain goes away.

Think of it this way: If your car was out of alignment and causing tires and shocks to wear away abnormally, would it make more sense to keep replacing worn tires and shocks or to attack the source of the problem and get the car back into proper alignment? Your surgeon is just replacing tires and shocks rather than fixing the CAUSE of the problem.

Please, do not get anymore surgery! I highly recommend that you find a qualified structural and deep muscle therapist, such as a Neuromuscular Therapist , Rolfer or similarly trained practitioner. They will be able to assess which muscles are overly tight, if your hip or other bones are misaligned and identify any faulty movement patterns (biomechanics) you're doing that may be causing this. The therapist will stretch and massage the tissue to get it back to normal. A regular massage therapist will probably not have the specific skills needed to help you.

Pain is your body's way of telling you something is wrong and needs to be changed. You need to change what's CAUSING the problem, not treating the symptoms with surgery or medications.

Hope this helps you.

2006-08-30 04:20:26 · answer #1 · answered by not_gullible 3 · 0 0

There is a supplement called glucosamine chondroitin available at Wal Mart and most groceries. It lubricates joints and helps rebuild cartilage. It is not pain medicine at all, but i have found that after taking this supplement as directed for a few days, i notice a great deal of relief and comfort. I had surgery on my shoulder 2 years ago and would take this before i dreamed of taking pain medicine. Good luck, I hope all goes well.

2006-08-30 03:16:50 · answer #2 · answered by Mr. Ed 3 · 0 1

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