Hi.I'm seventeen and i've had knee problems for about 3 years now. I was diagnosed with patello-femoral syndrome (which meant i was getting pain because my patella wasn't tracking correctly) and patellar tendonitis. My doctor first started me off just doing physical therapy, to try and correct the problem, but it only became worse. So, I then had an arthroscopic procedure in which he shaved the underside of my patella to remove all the damage and wear and tear i had accumulated due to the patella tracking in the wrong position, but he never did anything to correct the actual tracking. After this surgery, i went into PT and continued to have pain, which even got worse as I went on. When i went back to my doctor and told him this, he told me that was all he could do for me and that i'd have to choose an occupation for the rest of my life that would put less stress on my knees - AND I'M ONLY SEVENTEEN!!!! This made me feel so horrible, and afraid that i'd have this pain for the rest of my life. When i told my physical therapist what he had said she couldn't believe it, and saw how upset i was. So, she referred me to another doctor - an orthopedic surgeon in Boston, MA. His name is Dr. Micheli and he is the best doctor i've ever had. He is associate professor of orthopedic surgery at Harvard U, and is the attending physician of the boston ballet as well as the director of the division of sprots medicine at Children's Hospital in Boston. He listens to every concern i have, and spends as much time with me at my appointments as i need - i don't feel rushed like i used to. When i told him what the other doctor had told me, he and his assistant almost laughed and assured me that they see this all the time, and that they have a very high success rate in treating it. This made me feel sooo much better! Since then, he has performed a lateral release on me on June 11th and so far, about 2 weeks post-op, my knee feels great. I start PT soon, and am crossing my fingers that this time, it will work out. I was wondering if anyone who has had this surgery could tell me about their experience - was it good or bad - any success? Has anyone else had any experience w/ Dr. Micheli? Any information would be VERY MUCH appreciated!!!