Arthroscopy Exploratory assessment of the knee, debridement and PRP

[ColoradoSnowman]

An update......Baby steps continue. Drove 7 hours each way through a snowstorm (6 feet in the mountains!!!!) to have the Steadman Clinic do an exploratory assessment of the knee as well as a debridement and PRP.

First of all the Steadman clinic is great. My surgeon is Dr. Vidal, can't recommend working with him/them highly enough.

What was found when he went inside were 2 lesions both on the trochlea. The larger one was ~14mm the smaller ~10mm. The MRI indicated another lesion on the patella but was not found visually. Otherwise the said the knee was in great shape. He did mention that the larger lesion had a blister or cyst (I was foggy talking to him post op, so may have the terminology wrong).

The plan is to wait 3 months for full recovery and then determine whether this did enough. He said due to the good condition of the knee and my desired activity level, if we did have to go forward it would be with OATS and TTO, not PKR.


That being said 2 weeks post op, so far so good. I really won't know whether this debridement did the trick until I am allowed to take the knee out for a run/climb/MTB/HIIT. All of that is off limits until 6-8 weeks post op

 

[Jockette]

@ColoradoSnowman

Best wishes as you recover from this procedure. Please give us the date and we’ll make a signature for you.

Even though you didn’t have a knee replacement, some of our Recover Guidelines will still be helpful. Each article is short but very informative. Following these guidelines will help you have a less painful recovery.

Just keep in mind all people are different, as are the approaches to this recovery and rehab. The key is, “Find what works for you.“ Your doctors, PTs and BoneSmart are available to help, but you are the final judge as to the recovery approach you choose.

Knee Recovery: The Guidelines

1. Don’t worry: Your body will heal all by itself. Relax, let it, don't try and hurry it, don’t worry about any symptoms now, they are almost certainly temporary

2. Control discomfort:

rest​

elevate​

ice​

take your pain meds by prescription schedule (not when pain starts!)​

don't overwork.​

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If you want to use something to help heal the incision, ​

BoneSmart recommends hypochlorous solution. Members in the US can purchase ACTIVE Antimicrobial Hydrogel through BoneSmart at a discount. Similar products should be available in the UK and other countries.​

3. Do what you want to do BUT

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a. If it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physical therapist - to do it to you​

b. If your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again.​

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4. PT or exercise can be useful BUT take note of these

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the BoneSmart view on exercise​

BoneSmart philosophy for sensible post op therapy​

5. At week 4 and after you should follow this

Activity Progression for TKRs​

6. Access to these pages on the website

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Oral And Intravenous Pain Medications​

Wound Closure​

The Recovery articles:
The importance of managing pain after a TKR and the pain chart
Swollen and stiff knee: what causes it?
Energy drain for TKRs
Elevation is the key
Ice to control pain and swelling
Heel slides and how to do them properly
Chart representation of TKR recovery
Healing: how long does it take?

Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it?

There are also some cautionary articles here
Myth busting: no pain, no gain
Myth busting: the "window of opportunity" in TKR
Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds

We try to keep the forum a positive and safe place for our members to talk about their questions or concerns and to report successes with their joint replacement surgery.

While members may create as many threads as they like in the majority of BoneSmart’s forums, we ask that each member have only One Recovery Thread. This policy makes it easier to go back and review the member’s history before providing advice, so please post any updates or questions you have right here in this thread.

 

[JusticeRider]

Hi @ColoradoSnowman that sounds like a great first step! It’s no fun to have an extra surgery, but sometimes they need to get in there and get eyes in the inside of your knee before they really know what you’re dealing with. And if you’re lucky, what they did then will be enough to give you full relief. How great would that be?? Please do keep us updated!