Rockgirl4
Former BoneSmart staff member
@Woodpusher I'm supposed to be doing the leg extensions while sitting in the chair too, but I simply can'tget my leg to work that way. I can do a straight-leg raise while laying on the couch, along with a short-arc quad. Those actually are easy for me....but the leg extension just will NOT work yet. I didn't force it.
As for the ACI, yes it was covered by Anthem Blue Cross & Blue Shield at the time. It was a long process to get it approved. The insurance specialist at the surgeon's office worked on it for weeks, but there were no denials. I think the total came to ~$75,000. It IS surgical, and is a 2-part procedure---which is part of the cost. Surgery #1 is an arthroscopy where you have cartilage cells harvested from a non weight-bearing part of your knee (from the back of the knee---I just can't remember which part exactly). Then you just heal like any other arthroscopy/ clean-out. Surgery #2 is usually 7-8 wks later and is a full arthrotomy. I had a 6 inch incision. He moved the kneecap out of the way and put 36 million of my new chondrocyte cells into a hole on my medial femoral condyle that was 2.25 inches long by .75 inches wide. He used all 36 million cells. This was a problem though. He said the lateral tibial condyle didn't need transplanted because "it cleaned up just fine during the harvest surgery from where he debrided it." X-rays showed last summer that the lateral condyles were overlapping, with the top completely collapsed onto the bottom. My TKR surgeon politely said I was sold a song and a dance---most likely the ACI surgeon just ran out of cells and didn't plan ahead correctly. So even IF the ACI had filled in well on the medial side, it didn't fix the other half of my knee. ...and people wonder why I can barely speak of that man ever again!!!
I forgot to mention the recovery from the ACI arthrotomy was brutal. So far, this TKR recovery is right on par with that---maybe a little better this time around because I knew what to expect with a 6-inch incision. Thankfully no immobilizer though. I was in a straight-leg brace for 8 wks after ACI. Not even a toe touch was allowed so the cells could harden and fill in. I'll take this TKR over THAT any day.
Lastly,now I know ACI is only successful when someone is young enough that their cells can actually regenerate. My TKR surgeon says not to bother unless you're <30 yrs old. Even that is no guarantee, and some body parts do better than others. I know someone who had it done on their patella with zero success. She felt like she was sold a line of junk too. :(
As for the ACI, yes it was covered by Anthem Blue Cross & Blue Shield at the time. It was a long process to get it approved. The insurance specialist at the surgeon's office worked on it for weeks, but there were no denials. I think the total came to ~$75,000. It IS surgical, and is a 2-part procedure---which is part of the cost. Surgery #1 is an arthroscopy where you have cartilage cells harvested from a non weight-bearing part of your knee (from the back of the knee---I just can't remember which part exactly). Then you just heal like any other arthroscopy/ clean-out. Surgery #2 is usually 7-8 wks later and is a full arthrotomy. I had a 6 inch incision. He moved the kneecap out of the way and put 36 million of my new chondrocyte cells into a hole on my medial femoral condyle that was 2.25 inches long by .75 inches wide. He used all 36 million cells. This was a problem though. He said the lateral tibial condyle didn't need transplanted because "it cleaned up just fine during the harvest surgery from where he debrided it." X-rays showed last summer that the lateral condyles were overlapping, with the top completely collapsed onto the bottom. My TKR surgeon politely said I was sold a song and a dance---most likely the ACI surgeon just ran out of cells and didn't plan ahead correctly. So even IF the ACI had filled in well on the medial side, it didn't fix the other half of my knee. ...and people wonder why I can barely speak of that man ever again!!!
I forgot to mention the recovery from the ACI arthrotomy was brutal. So far, this TKR recovery is right on par with that---maybe a little better this time around because I knew what to expect with a 6-inch incision. Thankfully no immobilizer though. I was in a straight-leg brace for 8 wks after ACI. Not even a toe touch was allowed so the cells could harden and fill in. I'll take this TKR over THAT any day.
Lastly,now I know ACI is only successful when someone is young enough that their cells can actually regenerate. My TKR surgeon says not to bother unless you're <30 yrs old. Even that is no guarantee, and some body parts do better than others. I know someone who had it done on their patella with zero success. She felt like she was sold a line of junk too. :(
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