Here is some hope for allof you I had a lateral release 2.5 weeks ago. I was told to have the brace on for 4 weeks and in no uncertain terms bend it. I was up standing and walking to some degree within 3 hours of surgery. Heaps of pain in the first few days as I figured out how much I could use it but at the end of the first week I ditched the brace as it was 38 degrees and too uncomfortable at that temperature ( not that I am going to tell the doctor though) . At day 7 I ahd the dressings changed and atday 8 I started to see how far I could push it, as it turns out NOT FAR. I started free weights to maintain upper body strength. I dont go to a gym normally but in this case due to being sedentary I pre empted and bought some free weights. As a few people on here have said the more you move the quicker it heals, just take it easy though and dont push yourself. I am now at 2.5 weeks and walking un aided with out braces, I can bend to almost at 90 degrees though very gingerly. I still cant lift my leg forwards or up BUT I can liftcompletely sideways( left and right)and completely backwards. I still cant run but I can walk. Like I said earlier I am recovering quicker than most but that is because I beleive only I know how much ,my body can handle. Your doctor is giving you a combination of best and worst case senarios. I am an Electrician by day so no work for me as yet but I have also allowed for 3 months off work BUT at this rate I am thinking that a 4 to 6 week recovery is most definately possible IF you are willing to risk it.
I had arthroscopy with lateral release on left knee on 19Nov12. It is now 5 weeks post-op. Knee is still swollen and cannot completely straighten leg or bend knee past 45 degrees. Because of back problems, cannot do everything that phsyio wants me to do. Have found my own ways of doing physio, such as holding onto a counter and trying to bend both knees to the same degree (pushing down to bend them).
Words of advice to anyone considering this surgery -
1. Don't do it in winter. It's very hard to find something you can put on your feet to walk in snow. Ever tried putting snow boots on without bending your knee? There is also the very real danger of slipping on ice or uneven ground and falling.
2. Have a cane handy to use after surgery, especially when walking outside and doing stairs. In the house, you have walls to catch yourself if your knee buckles.
3. Get a bathtub transfer seat before your surgery, unless you have a walk-in shower. It's very dangerous trying to get in and out of a tub without one because your leg doesn't bend enough to clear the tub wall.
4. Be prepared for hypersensitive skin around the surgical site. Another reason for doing the surgery in summer - you can wear shorts and not have material rubbing on the sensitive skin. Also, when the scabs start to break off, they catch on the material of long pants. It's driving me crazy!
5. Arrange for someone to get groceries and run errands for you. Getting in and out of a car is somewhat painful because no matter how far back your seat goes, you still have to bend your knee to get it around the firewall.
6. Try to do strengthen the thigh muscles before surgery. Mine were very weak and I think that is part of my problem with recovery. I went into surgery with no strength so I'm starting with a handicap.
I now have 2 more weeks to try and get this blasted knee somewhat normal. Will be spending most of that time with it wrapped and up on the back of the couch to try and get the swelling down. Hopefully I can get through a full revolution on the bike as well.
I just had a lateral release done a few days ago. This is my third surgery, same knee. My first lateral release was done in 2008 which everyone who is considering having this done should know, is only 50% effective. Clearly I was on the negative side of that 50%. In 2009 I had a Tibial Tubercle Transfer (not fun), which took a very long time to recover from. I finally decided with my doctor, after a couple years of pain, to take out the screws in my tibia. While in there, he also did another lateral release, cleaned up under my patella and cleaned out a ton of scar tissue. After years of knee problems, pain, various doctors, physical therapy, and research, I can honestly say my recent OS is amazing! And have become somewhat of a knee expert. So, words of advice for anyone going through this, first, do your research, and always get a second opinion. Second, after a horrible experience with my first one, I was on crutches for weeks, PT for months, couldn't get range of motion back, I changed paths tis tme around. My OS had me weight bearing the first day, leg lifts the second day and starting 48 hours after surgery, am in compression stockings for a week to pevent clots. Works wonders! I he minimal swelling, minimal pain, and am walking normally just 3 days out. Finally, anyone needing good way to gain back strength as well as range of motion, get in the pool!! You will see amazing results! Good luck!!
Are you talking about range of motion? Being able to bend your knee? The best thing in found is being in the pool. I started PT with a stationary bike and that did help but was very painful. Once I got in the pool, I started slowly, just doing some walking in the shallow end and some light kicking. The weightlessness of being in the water makes it less stressful on your knee and body, and the natural water resistance really helps with strengthening. You have to work on it every day. It's a slow process and it takes work but you have to push yourself. Make sure you're getting clearance from your doc though before you do anything. And taking a pain pill before you start your PT always helps! But push yourself!
My physiotherapist told me that stretching the muscles is the way to get rid of the stiffness. So, I hold onto the kitchen sink and stretch my leg out behind me, then pretend I'm sitting in a chair and try to bend my bad knee to the same degree as the good one. Because I'm trying not to limp, I exaggerate my steps when walking (only in the house though 'cause I look silly doing it!). Physio told me to have my foot up on a kitchen chair while sitting on a kitchen chair - you can really feel the pull on the back of your thigh doing this. When sitting at the computer, I have a soft ball between my knees and squeeze it. I've found that moist heat (like the shower) eases the stiffness in the knee itself. Can't use the pool as it's closed for renovations for the winter, which is a shame - they have a steam room that would probably really help!
I had my lateral release three weeks ago on January 4th 2013. I must say that it was difficult at first, I had no idea what I had got myself into. For the first week or so I just layed low on the couch with my knee elevated and iced religiously all day and night. I only need the pain meds for the first day, after that ibuprofen worked well for me. I started physical therapy the second week. My knee had become so stiff from not moving or stretching it right away, I found P.T. to be very difficult those first few days. We just basically worked on stretching and some weight bearing exercises. But it really wasn't that long before each day I would wake up and my knee would feel a bit better. Now I can almost walk normally, with a slight limp. I find that I have less pain than I had pior to surgery, and am hoping to continue on this road to a healthy recovery.
I am a 66 year-old woman who had a lateral release on my left knee in 2007 as a 60 year old. While waiting for surgery, I tore the meniscus due to age-related wear. So surgery involved both lateral release and shaving the meniscus (30%). Post-surgery I had a hematoma. I started physical therapy after 3 weeks while the hematoma was draining. There was muscle atrophy to my quadriceps muscle. None-the-less the PT was very helpful and I resumed recreational walking as I had been an avid walker who walked about 5 miles a day 5 days a week. I could not get to that level again, but could walk 2 miles fairly easily. There was just a little "hitch" in my gait, but no limp. After a year of healing I went on vacation to a city with many hills and walked all over. My knee swelled badly and although I iced it and rested it the swelling did not go down. I finally went to my orthopaedist who after x-raying it said I was a candidate for a partial knee replacement. I think a lot of this was due to the shaving of the meniscus. Instead I opted for a cortisone shot and visco supplementation, which helped a lot. It's now 2013 and the visco supplementation is not as effective as it once was, I have developed a sensitivity to something in the cortisone (maybe a preservative) that makes my face swell and gives my a terrible headache. Osteoarthritis set in as early as a year post-surgery, but now is quite painful mostly when I walk. I can barely walk a mile even if I take celebrex. I ride a stationary bike for 30 minutes most days, do yoga, and resistance training, but my life has really changed.
So, if you are over 60, I would get several opinions before having surgery of this kind, being very mindful of anything that refers to age-related wear. When I first talked to the surgeon he said that it was possible to try PT first, but because there had been no improvement after this long (he was the third surgeon I saw) that he did not think it would help. I wanted to get on with my life and trusted him, so I went ahead with surgery. If I were doing it again, I would have gone out of town to get one more opinion, and would have tried PT first.
For younger folks, I think my experience probably does not apply, except that I was never told to cross train (actually, I was doing a type of cross-training, in that I participated in yoga and pilates classes). I think I should have done an awful lot more to strengthen the muscles around my knee, but I wasn't a competitive athlete, and never got any counselling or advice about this. It never occurred to me that walking a lot could hurt my knee so much. As for me, I am determined to avoid or at least postpone total knee replacement as long as possible. I just want to continue to be able to walk at least a mile. Wish me luck!!
I know what you are going through. I had the surgery 5 months ago and am in more pain then before. I have also developed a pain in my upper thigh that gets worse everyday. I wish I could go back in time I would never have had this done. I am told the only thing left is total knee replacement. I could barely afford this surgery so i guess I have years of pain and suffering.
Hi. I am 15 years old and scheduled to have Lateral Release and possible Medial Reefing on March 5th, 2013 on my right knee. I have been having pain in both knees for a couple years now, and it always flares up when I am playing intense sports. I play lacrosse in the Spring, and run cross country in the fall. I have also played soccer, tennis, and done many fitness programs in the past. Running cross country this past fall is what really flared up my knees. I had to stop running (5-10 miles every day) after only a month of doing this sport. I have not been able to do any exercise- running, biking, skiing, exercise programs etc. since the start of October. Like I said, I am a 15 year old girl so this has been very disappointing. I have done all conservative treatments- PT for 3 months, taping, bracing, ultrasound, orthotics, etc. and nothing has helped. Earlier this week I dislocated my left knee (the one I am not planning to get surgery on) so now I don't know what to do. I have worse pain in my right knee, but the pain in my left has always been almost as bad. I am probably going to need surgery in that knee soon after too. After reading so many horror stories, I am very worried that this surgery might not even help me, and make my knees even worse for a 15 year old girl. My doctor even says I already have pre-arthritis, as well as damage under the kneecap, cartilage wearing away, and small tears in the tendons. Now, I just have a few questions regarding the surgery in general: Will I be in a knee immobilizer brace post-op? How long until I can fly post-op? How long until I can go back to school? (I am a sophomore in high school.) How long until I can play sports/run again? (I already know I am going to miss my lacrosse season this spring, but I am hoping to be able to go back to intense running in the fall.) Would you recommend me doing my left knee a couple weeks after my right? How far should I space out the surgeries? Thank you SO much for any advice you can give. I am VERY nervous about this surgery.
You need to have a long discussion with your doctor. Every surgeon has a different post-op routine for their patients. Mine wrapped my leg in tensors from thigh to ankle and had me walking on the leg (without crutches/cane) as soon as I woke up. Other surgeons put a brace on the leg and tell their patients to use crutches for weeks afterwards. The time of year makes a difference too. I've been dealing with a lot of snow and ice, so I use a cane when I have to go outside, but I'm fine inside without it. It's been 10 weeks now and I still walk like one leg is shorter than the other because it is so stiff and swollen and I cannot do stairs normally. But, every patient is different too. You are young and obviously in good physical condition with strong muscles (mine were very weak and are even weaker now), so you should have a faster recovery than me. From reading people's stories on different forums (this is the best site I've found), I'm really thinking that lateral release is a procedure that older doctors think is good but the newly trained doctors believe does more harm than good. Really confusing! As far as going back to school, you should be able to go back almost immediately, as long as you can put your foot up when sitting. And I wouldn't schedule a second surgery until you see how the first one goes.