5 Months Post Op Dr Appointment

I went back to see my surgeon to see how I was progressing.  Here are some of the questions I asked him and the answers (in red) and my reactions (in blue).

1.  Why do I still have pain in the same area as before the surgery?  Is this normal?

It is normal to still have pain until you get your quad strength back.  Cartilage injuries are difficult and it's sometimes difficult to see what is causing the pain.  However, it's too soon to think about other options because the graft is still hardening and adhering to the bone (I'm definitely NOT having another surgery for this.  At this point I'll live with what I got if this is as good as it gets).  The pain should slowly decrease over the next couple of months as your quad becomes more functional.

2.  It's hard to strengthen my quad when my rehab protocol is so restrictive.  When can I start doing more intense exercises such as lunges and squats?  Do you have any recommendations of exercises I can do now to strengthen the quad?  What about stairs?  Are those ok?

At this point you are okay to start doing squats and lunges (Well this is good to know!  Apparently my rehab protocol is very generic and fits worst case scenario for this surgery.  I'm excited to try out some new exercises over the next few months).  Your lesion is in a location that those exercises should not put excessive pressure on the graft.  But you'll need to start slow since your quad is very weak.  The leg extension weight machine is a good way to build the quad.  You'll have a lot of trouble dong stairs right now so you might want to avoid that until later down the road (Too bad my house has stairs.  But I just go up one leg at a time).

3.  I have cracking and popping in my knee now.  Is this ok?  Should I be worried?

No, this is nothing to be worried about.  This is normal after open knee surgery.  To access the cartilage lesion the tendon attaching your knee cap was cut so the kneecap could be flipped up.  The tendon was then glued back together.  The cracking and popping is the scar tissue releasing and breaking up.  This should go away in a couple of months (This was a relief.  I thought these sensations were my messed up cartilage).

4.  Would an MRI show how the graft is doing at this point?

No, an MRI would not show much at this point.  If you still have pain a year post op then is would be appropriate to get another MRI to see what's going on.  Right now there is no reason to think anything is wrong with the graft as you seem to be healing well.