02/02/2005 09:17 PM
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valerieacarr
Posts: 37
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Hello Again, I just had to add my two cents' worth since invited! Well,I am going to take the interesting info posted by Dr Dunn re HGH & microfracture to my orthopedist, who is the sports ortho for the CU football team, next time I see him. My knee feels considerably better now it is 3 months post microfracture & I am starting to build the needed muscle, per the rehabilitaion protocol. But I have not done any high impact such as jumping off mountain head walls yet - not until June! However, the point made in the last posting may or may not be valid - 2 months non-weight-bearing could significantly impact the aggrevation to the joint, no matter what procedure is performed. My take is, this knee surgery is not an exact science - like Vioxx! Also, from what I have gathered, adherance to strict Physical Therapy protocol, plus being truely Non-weight-bearing (not a simple feat if one, say, loses balance while on crutches for 8 weeks or makes a step on the wrong foot accidentally while supposedly totally non-weight-bearing)is what is probably needed for microfracture to be really successful - as well as doctor knowledge, training & skill). There is a great web site you all (no, I am not Texan but a Kiwi) can refer to - a marathon runner in SF did a wonderful job of describing his microfracture & rehab back in 1998, ran several more marathons successfully following microfracture, & when I emailed him recently because I was having lots of problems after microfracture, he said he is still very happy with the success of his microfracture surgery - but read what he designed for his rehab, which was later adopted by his doctor - if you follow it you may become a fitness-nut. Microfracture Woohoo!should take you to his web site. Steve Woo is his name. I found his beautiful site while surfing for information on microfracture among other possible cures, 6-8 months ago before I made that decision. A tough decision, hopefully worth it. After reading it I getting more info from my doctor I decided on it. I also researched (not favourably) HGH injections, as previously mentioned. I still have an open mind, as scientists & radiologists don't know everything, either, but their opinion on my behalf was respected by me. Maybe I will try HGH some time for my other, lesser arthritic knee! Then I can write to you as an unbiased person who has tried everything but TKR. By the by, a friend of mine just had the Rotating Platform TKR done in May. He is a Black Diamond skier - I saw his wife last night - he has skied 3 weeks this season and is loving his knee. So if nothing else works, there is always that. Now the FDA has approved the 2 inch long incision TKR. With Guided Navigational Technology. Cheers. Valerie.
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01/05/2005 01:08 PM
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Sharon2041
Posts: 13
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To all of you who are thinking that microfracture may be the answer for you, there may be other alternatives, such as in my case. After 15 years and 4 failed knee surgeries, I heard about Dr. Steadman and his microfracture procedure about 5 years ago. My ortho in Chicago sent my files to Steadman and after 6 months I got in to see him. He did a moving MRI that showed I subluxed medially everytime I bent my knee. He also determined that my knee was too far gone for microfracture, something I had never even thought about. He offered the option of thermal shrinkage during which he completely realigned my knee, shrinking the tendons and ligaments with a laser. He told me that there was a possibility that the shrinkage could restretch, but I was willing to take that chance. After 6 weeks in an immobilizer I was walking pain-free for the first time in 15 years--no crepitus, no crutches, or canes, only a knee brace to prevent my hyperextending. Now, 4+ years later I am still relatively pain-free. The best advice I can give, is to find the best doctor you can. Dr. Steadman does not take many insurance plans, most was out of my pocket. Yes, it cost me, but the results it has given me are priceless.
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01/04/2005 08:49 PM
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valerieacarr
Posts: 37
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Hope is a good word, but it is the word Success I am more interested in. I have had radiologist & orthopedic friends look into Farchshian and it appears he is a hoax, per the radiographs & educational qualifications he presents. I haven't had them evaluate Dunn. My feeling is, if HGH (which has been shown to cause cancer in lab rats) is so great, why aren't orthopedic docs recommending it? The science does not seem to support the use of HGH. But I hear it is worth the experience for the Tai Chi! So, as a person going through this process the hard way, by fire & water (microfracture through an HMO doc) I caution all of you who read about these hope websites: Follow at your own risk & make your own evaluations. Microfracture is the best thing out there, it seems, right now. The rehab needs to be followed to the letter, & obtained from Steadman'Hawkins Clinic if your doc doesn't follow their approach. They have done 2,800 procedures. I made a mistake by staying in my HMO network & not going to them. I am now hoping that it is correctable. Or maybe I'll have to have a 2nd microfracture, using only them this time, of course. Another 8 weeks on crutches - oh, no!
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01/01/2005 09:27 PM
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valerieacarr
Posts: 37
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Hello, Fellow Osteoarthritis of the Knee/Ankle sufferers, Maybe Microfracturers, SaluCartilage Seekers & CarCel Curious, & Meniscus Replacement Relishers, According to what I have researched, an option is microfracture, followed, if you are missing too much of your meniscus, by a Collagen Meniscus Implant. These implants should be approved by the FDA (we all know how great they are at doing what they are supposed to do, i.e. provide help for the general public, not the big drug companies' profits) within a year. These implants are currently being done, successfully, apparently, in Europe, Canada, S. America & Australia. 8 weeks on crutches non-weight-bearing. Then there is the approved & established Microfracture procedure to prepare the knee for the implant - or to "treat osteochondral(OCL) & degenerative chondral lesions (DCL)...without needing a meniscus implant. This can restore severe cartilage damage with a good functional outcome... with age not being a limiting factor" according to a study I read about. Microfracture is what I just had done 10 weeks ago - & after 8 weeks non-weightbearing & on crutches, & now just 2 weeks weightbearing, I am still suffering much swelling & all I seem to do is ice & do seated theraband exercises. Even stationary cycling w. no weight causes pain & swelling, which it did not when I was on crutches. Does anyone know if this lasts much longer, or is 10 weeks post-op still part of the swelling/pain/difficulty in being able to excercise process? Obviously, no major sport like skiing is allowed for a total of 6 months. Microfracture apparently prepares the rough osteoarthritic surfaces for the new collagen meniscus implant, if the cartilage is damaged, otherwise the cartilage will "chew up" the new meniscus (quote from the docs who developed this procedure, Dr Rodkey & Dr Steadman, of Vail, CO).Check it out. If you have had a microfracture I would love to hear of your rehab & history on it!!!I have received NO info from my doc who always seems to be traveling with the C.U. football team or some other sports team! HMOs!!!I am a little worried at this point. Then there is info on the web regarding BST-CarGel used in conjunction with the microfrature technique- perhaps what I should have waited for to be approved. Does anyone know much about this? "Unlike treatments that produce fibrocartilage,(simple MICROFRACTURE, for example) what is regenerated with CarGel is, histologically, cartilage" says one surgeon working at Biosyntech. It seems to use the microfracture technique, but adds a product to the stem cells which seep out of the bone marrow and still takes 9 weeks to heal before weight-bearing.Used for knees & ankles, this is only currently being done on athletes and animals (says a lot, right?) Please let me know if you try this down the road - or get more information on it. If microfracture doesn't work for me, based on my sensations right now, I would maybe need to try this. Yuk. I talked with the SaluCartilage folk in Florida in March - they are awaiting the outcome of the European trials which are not promising, at this point. There could be many reasons for this - noncompliance or inability to organise a proper trial situation, for instance. They will most probably do another trial is what I was told, before asking for FDA approval. (But will the FDA even be around by then?) Does anyone else have some new or good news? Impatient in Colorado, Valerie.
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