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I was diagnosed with Patellar Tendonitis below the kneecap of both my knees. I played a lot of basketball through my college years and the pain got worse and worse. I had MRI's done to confirm what the pain was, and I had physical therapy.
The day to day pain has gone away and I'm able to do daily activities that used to give me pain, but now I'm pain free.
However, I'm 26 and in good shape and I still like to play sports and I've quit basketball. Sometimes I can feel the tendon tighten up after a short sprint or quick movement. It's not the same pain and it doesn't last for days or anything, but it's annoying.
Doctor says that I've damaged the tendons for so long without allowing them to heal that I have "degenerative tissue" that won't ever heal and I'm stuck with this pain.
I've been told about a surgery where they sever the tendon to remove the degenerative tissue, and reattach it. I also read about another surgery where they make small incisions in the tendon to try and get the healing process to start up again without completely severing the tendon.
I guess what I'm wondering is if there's anyone else with this problem or anyone who has had this kind of surgery? What was your experience been like? Did you find another way to prevent the pain? Pain killers don't work, they won't give me cortisone, and the knee straps/braces don't help that much either...
I was diagnosed with Patellar Tendonitis below the kneecap of both my knees. I played a lot of basketball through my college years and the pain got worse and worse. I had MRI's done to confirm what the pain was, and I had physical therapy.
The day to day pain has gone away and I'm able to do daily activities that used to give me pain, but now I'm pain free.
However, I'm 26 and in good shape and I still like to play sports and I've quit basketball. Sometimes I can feel the tendon tighten up after a short sprint or quick movement. It's not the same pain and it doesn't last for days or anything, but it's annoying.
Doctor says that I've damaged the tendons for so long without allowing them to heal that I have "degenerative tissue" that won't ever heal and I'm stuck with this pain.
I've been told about a surgery where they sever the tendon to remove the degenerative tissue, and reattach it. I also read about another surgery where they make small incisions in the tendon to try and get the healing process to start up again without completely severing the tendon.
I guess what I'm wondering is if there's anyone else with this problem or anyone who has had this kind of surgery? What was your experience been like? Did you find another way to prevent the pain? Pain killers don't work, they won't give me cortisone, and the knee straps/braces don't help that much either...
I'd be getting a second (and third) opinion on that! And be very careful who you let hack into any of your tendons and or ligaments.
I was a sprinter when young and tendonitis came back to haunt me later in life...in my foot. You probably know this already, but anything "itis" means inflammation...have you been on anti inflammatories? If one brand didn't work try others...you may just hit in one that is good for you.
My pain was really sharp for months and my doctor ( by now an orthopaedics guy) started talking exploratory surgery after x-rays and an MRI but that made me nervous as hell. Then a friend told me to try different anti inflammatories... and to be sure to keep well hydrated. Three days later the pain was gone...like a miracle I could walk pain-free!
It comes back every so often but I pretty much keep it in check with glucosamine (when I remember to take it!), eating lots of bananas for the potassium and making sure I always drink plenty of water.
Runners call this "Runner's Knee" and its fairly common....RICE (REST, ice, compression, elevation) combined with anti-inflammatory med should do the trick. I capitalize the REST because its the most important part.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cdubs3201
Pain killers don't work, they won't give me cortisone, and the knee straps/braces don't help that much either...
So you are telling me that are willing to cut you open, but not give a cortisone shot???? Yeah, I'd go find another doctor. There is plenty of things you can do to recover from this: meds, rest, stretching, PT, braces, etc., etc.
This is another common thing runners with injuries run into....doctors who don't understand athletes! Alot of doctors out there will say "if activity X makes your knees hurt, then stop doing it". Yeah....that just isn't feasible for an athlete. Find a doctor who treats athletes or specializes in sports medicine and I'll bet you have someone who will get you healthy again and allow you to continue to do what you like to do.
Runners call this "Runner's Knee" and its fairly common....RICE (REST, ice, compression, elevation) combined with anti-inflammatory med should do the trick. I capitalize the REST because its the most important part.
So you are telling me that are willing to cut you open, but not give a cortisone shot???? Yeah, I'd go find another doctor. There is plenty of things you can do to recover from this: meds, rest, stretching, PT, braces, etc., etc.
This is another common thing runners with injuries run into....doctors who don't understand athletes! Alot of doctors out there will say "if activity X makes your knees hurt, then stop doing it". Yeah....that just isn't feasible for an athlete. Find a doctor who treats athletes or specializes in sports medicine and I'll bet you have someone who will get you healthy again and allow you to continue to do what you like to do.
Good luck!
I will see a different doctor, but this doctor actually was an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in sports medicine. He also said this is one of the few areas of a body that cortisone would be a bad idea, because it will weaken my tendon even more and I risk tearing it completely on my own. He also didn't recommend the surgery, he just said it was an "option" but of course he said "just stop playing sports and running" as his recommendation.
I'm looking for anyone who has HAD THE SURGERY. Please comment if you have.
I would find a good ART provider in your area, or a very experienced deep tissue massage specialist. I supposedly needed surgery for chronic neck pain from 6 years of welding combined with a couple of bad car accidents. Went to see an ART specialist (active release technique, its like a deep tissue massage to the specific area while moving it through a range of motion) and got so much relief that I did not want anyone cutting on me anymore.
A lot of times, adhesions build up in muscle fibers and tendons which can cause constant pulls on muscles and joints. Releasing these adhesions often allows the tension to be dissolved that is causing the irritation and then the body completes its own natural healing process.
As for having the surgery, I have not. But I have had clients who have had it. I had one guy who said it worked so well that his repaired knee ended up feeling much better than what used to be his good knee. I also had a client that had the surger and spent weeks of physical therapy trying to restore strength and motion and never really regained all of her range of motion and still had almost as much pain as before. The bottom line is that you are taking a gamble with the surgery. It could go great, it could go horrible, or it could just be an inconvenience that ends up not making you any better or worse.
I would suggest trying all other alternatives before thinking of going under the knife.
So I finally went to see a second doctor on this (I broke the cartilage in my right knee and decided to have him look at my MRI's as well). He agreed I had the same issue and diagnosed the same problem as the last doctor, however he too gave me two options: 1. Live with pain the rest of my life or 2. Have surgery.
I explained to him my reservations about the surgery and that the last doctor wanted to sever the tendon and reattach.
He said he has NEVER done that surgery and never will, as it is overkill for what is needed. He said I had just a small tear in each tendon, and he would just scrape away the bad tissue, leaving the tendon in tact. It is so minimally invasive that he is doing both knees at the same time and said I'll be able to walk the very next day without crutches. He said recovery time is anywhere from 8 weeks to 4 months, depends on how fast of a healer I am and how well physical therapy goes. He said I'm young so he would expect me to heal fast. I'm having the surgery on both knees on January 8th. I'm really excited for this surgery, this doctor has a lot of good recommendations for various professional athletes and he has decades of experience in this exact surgical process alone. He mentioned there are always risks with surgery, but he's never had a problem with this operation. He said I should be pain free if successful. That's all I want at this point, wish me luck!
So I finally went to see a second doctor on this (I broke the cartilage in my right knee and decided to have him look at my MRI's as well). He agreed I had the same issue and diagnosed the same problem as the last doctor, however he too gave me two options: 1. Live with pain the rest of my life or 2. Have surgery.
I explained to him my reservations about the surgery and that the last doctor wanted to sever the tendon and reattach.
He said he has NEVER done that surgery and never will, as it is overkill for what is needed. He said I had just a small tear in each tendon, and he would just scrape away the bad tissue, leaving the tendon in tact. It is so minimally invasive that he is doing both knees at the same time and said I'll be able to walk the very next day without crutches. He said recovery time is anywhere from 8 weeks to 4 months, depends on how fast of a healer I am and how well physical therapy goes. He said I'm young so he would expect me to heal fast. I'm having the surgery on both knees on January 8th. I'm really excited for this surgery, this doctor has a lot of good recommendations for various professional athletes and he has decades of experience in this exact surgical process alone. He mentioned there are always risks with surgery, but he's never had a problem with this operation. He said I should be pain free if successful. That's all I want at this point, wish me luck!
Hi,
I have been dealing with tendonitis since Sept 2012. Since then I've been on anti-inflams, corticosteroids, untrasound massage and Physical Therapy have had hardly any improvement. I am in the Army and on a medical profile (can't do anything physical) I need to get better before my career in the Army is ended. Can you please tell me the Doctor you are seeing? If you or anyone can provide me any advice in this matter that would be great!
I have been dealing with tendonitis since Sept 2012. Since then I've been on anti-inflams, corticosteroids, untrasound massage and Physical Therapy have had hardly any improvement. I am in the Army and on a medical profile (can't do anything physical) I need to get better before my career in the Army is ended. Can you please tell me the Doctor you are seeing? If you or anyone can provide me any advice in this matter that would be great!
This thread is over 3 yrs old. You will probably have better luck sending a direct message.
May I ask how long did it take for you to heal. Well I should say feel pain free and able to go back to your activities?
Quote:
Originally Posted by cdubs3201
I was diagnosed with Patellar Tendonitis below the kneecap of both my knees. I played a lot of basketball through my college years and the pain got worse and worse. I had MRI's done to confirm what the pain was, and I had physical therapy.
The day to day pain has gone away and I'm able to do daily activities that used to give me pain, but now I'm pain free.
However, I'm 26 and in good shape and I still like to play sports and I've quit basketball. Sometimes I can feel the tendon tighten up after a short sprint or quick movement. It's not the same pain and it doesn't last for days or anything, but it's annoying.
Doctor says that I've damaged the tendons for so long without allowing them to heal that I have "degenerative tissue" that won't ever heal and I'm stuck with this pain.
I've been told about a surgery where they sever the tendon to remove the degenerative tissue, and reattach it. I also read about another surgery where they make small incisions in the tendon to try and get the healing process to start up again without completely severing the tendon.
I guess what I'm wondering is if there's anyone else with this problem or anyone who has had this kind of surgery? What was your experience been like? Did you find another way to prevent the pain? Pain killers don't work, they won't give me cortisone, and the knee straps/braces don't help that much either...
May I ask how long did it take for you to heal? Meaning no pain at all anymore able to walk without pain... I've been on semi bed rest for 6 weeks now. Still some pain in both knees. Sometimes no pain. But if I walk to much it starts to ache again.
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