This is officially my first blog, my brother as an avid blogger will be proud. The main reason I started this blog is because I am set to have a MPFL reconstruction using a hamstring autograft on September 1st. I have searched and searched for some ideas of what to expect after the surgery. Though I found some things, most were outdated or did not apply to the same problems I am having prior to surgery. So, I'm writing my story of what got me here specifically and how the recovery process goes.
For starters, I am a 26 year old female who has been an athlete all of my life. I am overweight, but still have been able to compete relatively well in sports; most frequently softball, volleyball and basketball. For 4 years now, my kneecap constantly feels like it is going to completely dislocate, but to my knowledge, it never has. I did have a knee injury 10 years ago in high school while playing basketball that may have contributed to my problems. I slipped and almost went into the splits. Since I couldn't get up from that position, I tried to turn on my heels and make my feet and my body face to my left. My left foot twisted as it should have, my right foot stayed put. As a result, my knee twisted and it smacked the hardwood floor. I was diagnosed with a MCL sprain/strain. I'm still uncertain if that was correct or not, but regardless, I was back to playing ball in a week. Since high school, I play sports at a recreation level. I play softball most often. For the past 8ish years, I have played softball every season I could and I play anywhere from 3-7 nights/week, depending on the season. Due to the knee problems now, I am forced to take a season off. Prior to making the decision to take a season off, I was down to playing 2-3 nights a week, which during the summer, is very atypical for me as I would normally be playing much more. I have only played in one tournament this summer and that one tournament is what caused me to finally make the decision to go to the doctor after 4 years of knee pain that has only progressively gotten worse. After playing 6 games of softball back to back, I was physically unable to walk without excruciating pain. I was in my family doctor's office a week later to be diagnosed with patellar tracking disorder. Since I had never been treated for these issues before, physical therapy was tried first. When I went to the physical therapist that day, I did not receive a very good feeling. She said that my IT band was too tight and there really wasn't much I could do aside from stretching it. She then felt my kneecap and explained how loose it was and immediately referred me to someone specializing in sports medicine to see if I was a good candidate for a MPFL surgery. A couple weeks after that, I was seen by the sports medicine doctor. He explained that 10 years ago when I had a knee injury in high school, I likely tore my MPFL and that is the main thing that keeps my kneecap in place. Even when looking at the X-ray, and I'm no doctor, it was very obvious that my kneecap wasn't where it was supposed to be. He explained that I had a couple options. I could stop being active (I can't lie, I laughed a little), I could wear a brace from now on which really would just mask the problem (I wear a brace and it doesn't help), or I could go ahead and have the MPFL reconstruction. He said that the surgery is the only real way to fix the problem. I choose to go for it. I was given the option of using tissue from a cadaver, but the idea absolutely grosses me out and would be stressful for me, so I chose to use a hamstrings autograft.
I am told that I will be in a brace from hip to ankle for at least 6 weeks. I asked how long I would be on crutches and was not given a clear answer. I was told that whenever I wanted to discontinue the crutches, I could. I was given the same answer for returning to work. Since I am basically a professional desk jockey, my job requires more of being on my butt than it does on my feet. The surgery is planned for a Wednesday afternoon and I plan to return the following Tuesday. Time to return to sports is 16 weeks minimum. That is where I'm at right now.
I have no idea how long it'll be before I can drive again which is something I'm concerned with. My commute to work is 40 minutes each way and I live by myself. We'll see how that goes since it is my right knee that I'm having surgery on. I'm also concerned with stairs because lets just say that even though I'm an athlete, I have never been known to be a graceful one. Hence my list of ridiculous sports injuries that appears to be getting longer and longer. I can see myself very clearly face planting, or more likely, falling off of my deck backwards.
Right now, I'm enjoying being able to walk and bend my knee. I'm enjoying being able to sleep in whatever position I want, and I'm enjoying being able to take a plate of food as well as a drink to the table at the same time and with no problems. Those days will be gone here shortly. I hope I don't regret this decision, but if it means that I can play sports without fear of dislocating my knee, then it'll all be worth it in the end. I will try my best to keep this updated just to let others know what I've experienced during this process. Hopefully it'll be a source of knowledge, or at least comfort for someone facing the same situation.
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