Owww
So I'm out of hospital, my operation went well.
Lateral Release
The knee-cap (patella) is a small bone situated on the underside of the quadriceps tendon which crosses the front of the knee. The bone is shaped to fit inside a groove (the trochlea) on the end of the thigh bone (femur), and glides through the groove as the knee bends and straightens.
Occasionally the soft structures, such as the capsule, ligaments or tendons around the knee can become tight, or the muscles can become weak and imbalanced causing the knee-cap to move irregularly in the groove. Most commonly the knee-cap or patella tends to be pulled to the outside, this is known as "lateral tracking", and can cause severe symptoms including pain, particularly on stairs, and giving way. If untreated this may lead to abnormal wear on the joint surfaces and eventually osteoarthritic changes may occur.
Gross operation picture
A "lateral release" involves a small internal incision being made through the tight bands in the capsule, thus allowing the patella to move back to the correct position. This procedure is carried out arthroscopically from the inside. Appropriate post-operative physiotherapy is imperative to regain normal muscle balance and strength.
The release will eventually heal so your physiotherapist will show you how to move your kneecap to prevent the scar tissue becoming tight and inflexible, otherwise a recurrence of symptoms is possible.
The very nature of the "lateral release" procedure means that the knee may become quite swollen post-operatively although, with new instruments used in surgery, this is less common. Some swelling is expected and is not a problem, but does mean that you will need to curtail your activity to allow inflammation to settle. The physiotherapist will guide you on increasing exercise gradually. It may take up to four to six weeks to perform everyday activities, and three months to return to sport. Time needed off work will be dependant on your occupation - if unsure discuss this with the physiotherapist or doctor.
What surprised me was the rate at which they wanted me to move, as soon as I was out of recovery and up in my room again they put me on this machine that bent and straightened my knee for me, which I'd like to say on the strength of drugs they gave me hurt like HELL, and I was told if I could bare it on over night it would do me good, which I did manage to do, I woke up every hour or so though with it, luckily I'd taken my ipod (I didn't have enough concentration to watch tv/laptop) so I listened to that while drifting in and out (well until the battery died at about 4am) I also had the guys at SG10 & Michelle texting me (yes I'm one of those terrible people who ignores the 'please switch off mobile' signs in hospitals) which was nice and kept me smiling :)
I wasn't smiling however when my physiotherapist came in to me in the morning, handed me two walking sticks and went 'okay walk out into the hall' unsurprisingly I was WTF??? but the other nurses were looking at me expectantly and so I tried, by the time I'd made it to the hallway (about 10 steps) I was shaking, sweating, ready to cry and about to throw up, luckily made it back into the bathroom before that happened though. My physiotherapist somewhat sheepishly disappeared for a couple of hours after that. While she was gone and after I'd recovered for an hour or so I tried hobbling around my room a few steps at a time, so so so hard but by the time she came back late afternoon I could hobble as far as she wanted and even made it up and down a small staircase (slowly and with more sweating & shaking) so they kicked me out and Mum brought me home.
I've been taking it very slowly and more than a few times nearly fallen over, and it does REALLY hurt even with the lame ass painkillers they've given me, but I'm not going to let this beat me, the pain will give me good end results and thats all that matters.
Lateral Release
The knee-cap (patella) is a small bone situated on the underside of the quadriceps tendon which crosses the front of the knee. The bone is shaped to fit inside a groove (the trochlea) on the end of the thigh bone (femur), and glides through the groove as the knee bends and straightens.
Occasionally the soft structures, such as the capsule, ligaments or tendons around the knee can become tight, or the muscles can become weak and imbalanced causing the knee-cap to move irregularly in the groove. Most commonly the knee-cap or patella tends to be pulled to the outside, this is known as "lateral tracking", and can cause severe symptoms including pain, particularly on stairs, and giving way. If untreated this may lead to abnormal wear on the joint surfaces and eventually osteoarthritic changes may occur.
Gross operation picture
A "lateral release" involves a small internal incision being made through the tight bands in the capsule, thus allowing the patella to move back to the correct position. This procedure is carried out arthroscopically from the inside. Appropriate post-operative physiotherapy is imperative to regain normal muscle balance and strength.
The release will eventually heal so your physiotherapist will show you how to move your kneecap to prevent the scar tissue becoming tight and inflexible, otherwise a recurrence of symptoms is possible.
The very nature of the "lateral release" procedure means that the knee may become quite swollen post-operatively although, with new instruments used in surgery, this is less common. Some swelling is expected and is not a problem, but does mean that you will need to curtail your activity to allow inflammation to settle. The physiotherapist will guide you on increasing exercise gradually. It may take up to four to six weeks to perform everyday activities, and three months to return to sport. Time needed off work will be dependant on your occupation - if unsure discuss this with the physiotherapist or doctor.
What surprised me was the rate at which they wanted me to move, as soon as I was out of recovery and up in my room again they put me on this machine that bent and straightened my knee for me, which I'd like to say on the strength of drugs they gave me hurt like HELL, and I was told if I could bare it on over night it would do me good, which I did manage to do, I woke up every hour or so though with it, luckily I'd taken my ipod (I didn't have enough concentration to watch tv/laptop) so I listened to that while drifting in and out (well until the battery died at about 4am) I also had the guys at SG10 & Michelle texting me (yes I'm one of those terrible people who ignores the 'please switch off mobile' signs in hospitals) which was nice and kept me smiling :)
I wasn't smiling however when my physiotherapist came in to me in the morning, handed me two walking sticks and went 'okay walk out into the hall' unsurprisingly I was WTF??? but the other nurses were looking at me expectantly and so I tried, by the time I'd made it to the hallway (about 10 steps) I was shaking, sweating, ready to cry and about to throw up, luckily made it back into the bathroom before that happened though. My physiotherapist somewhat sheepishly disappeared for a couple of hours after that. While she was gone and after I'd recovered for an hour or so I tried hobbling around my room a few steps at a time, so so so hard but by the time she came back late afternoon I could hobble as far as she wanted and even made it up and down a small staircase (slowly and with more sweating & shaking) so they kicked me out and Mum brought me home.
I've been taking it very slowly and more than a few times nearly fallen over, and it does REALLY hurt even with the lame ass painkillers they've given me, but I'm not going to let this beat me, the pain will give me good end results and thats all that matters.