1
Ankle / Re: ExoSym
« on: March 08, 2020, 12:01:41 PM »
I’m actually interested in hearing about Reaktiv. How did it go? How much did it cost? I have a lot of questions about it!
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2
Ankle / Re: After 3 surgeries, doctors don’t know what is still wrong with my ankle. Ideas?
« on: November 19, 2018, 07:11:25 AM »
Thank you. I might try PT again. Here is the most recent MRI report from August. The report is unclear but every surgeon I go to says the OCD looks good and what you would expect to see after DeNovo.
Impression
1. No evidence of peroneal or Achilles tendon abnormality.
2. Mild tenosynovitis of the inframalleolar flexor digitorum and
inframalleolar flexor hallucis longus tendons.
3. Cortical bony defect involving the medial talar dome could be the
sequelae of Denovo cartilage repair as reported in the electronic
medical record without visualized loose body.
4. Please see above comments for further description.
END OF IMPRESSION
Electronically signed by XXX on 8/15/2018 10:46 AM
I, XXX, MD, have reviewed the images and verify the above
interpretation on 8/15/2018 10:52 AM.
Electronically signed by XXX, MD on 8/15/2018 10:52 AM
Narrative
HISTORY: M67.90-Unspecified disorder of synovium and tendon,
unspecified site M19.079 - Primary osteoarthritis, unspecified ankle
and foot; Unspecified disorder of synovi Anatomy of interest
[S_S]:->Ankle;
TECHNIQUE: MR imaging of the LEFT ankle was performed. Sequences
obtained include axial T1-weighted and T2-weighted with fat
saturation; coronal T1 weighted and PD weighted with fat saturation;
sagittal inversion recovery and gradient echo..
INTRAVENOUS CONTRAST ADMINISTRATION (milliliters of Gadavist): No IV
contrast administered
COMPARISON: None
FINDINGS:
There is mild thinning of the anterior talofibular ligament, which is
likely related to postsurgical changes. The anterior and posterior
syndesmotic ligaments, posterior talofibular, calcaneofibular and
deltoid ligamentous complex are intact.
There is a moderate amount of fluid around the inframalleolar flexor
hallucis longus tendon sheath and small amount of fluid around the
flexor digitorum longus tendon sheath without intrasubstance signal
abnormality. The extensor and flexor tendons are intact.
The peroneal brevis and longus tendons demonstrate normal signal and
are intact.
The Achilles tendon is intact, normal in size, and demonstrates
normal signal.
The Lisfranc ligament is intact. Alignment of the midfoot is normal.
The plantar fascia is unremarkable. The sinus tarsi is normal. The
soft tissues are normal. There is no joint effusion.
There is a 0.8 x 1.3 cm cortical bony defect along the medial talar
dome with mild subjacent subchondral edema. There is mild subjacent
fading edema. There is no intra-articular loose body or joint
effusion. There is no fracture.
Impression
1. No evidence of peroneal or Achilles tendon abnormality.
2. Mild tenosynovitis of the inframalleolar flexor digitorum and
inframalleolar flexor hallucis longus tendons.
3. Cortical bony defect involving the medial talar dome could be the
sequelae of Denovo cartilage repair as reported in the electronic
medical record without visualized loose body.
4. Please see above comments for further description.
END OF IMPRESSION
Electronically signed by XXX on 8/15/2018 10:46 AM
I, XXX, MD, have reviewed the images and verify the above
interpretation on 8/15/2018 10:52 AM.
Electronically signed by XXX, MD on 8/15/2018 10:52 AM
Narrative
HISTORY: M67.90-Unspecified disorder of synovium and tendon,
unspecified site M19.079 - Primary osteoarthritis, unspecified ankle
and foot; Unspecified disorder of synovi Anatomy of interest
[S_S]:->Ankle;
TECHNIQUE: MR imaging of the LEFT ankle was performed. Sequences
obtained include axial T1-weighted and T2-weighted with fat
saturation; coronal T1 weighted and PD weighted with fat saturation;
sagittal inversion recovery and gradient echo..
INTRAVENOUS CONTRAST ADMINISTRATION (milliliters of Gadavist): No IV
contrast administered
COMPARISON: None
FINDINGS:
There is mild thinning of the anterior talofibular ligament, which is
likely related to postsurgical changes. The anterior and posterior
syndesmotic ligaments, posterior talofibular, calcaneofibular and
deltoid ligamentous complex are intact.
There is a moderate amount of fluid around the inframalleolar flexor
hallucis longus tendon sheath and small amount of fluid around the
flexor digitorum longus tendon sheath without intrasubstance signal
abnormality. The extensor and flexor tendons are intact.
The peroneal brevis and longus tendons demonstrate normal signal and
are intact.
The Achilles tendon is intact, normal in size, and demonstrates
normal signal.
The Lisfranc ligament is intact. Alignment of the midfoot is normal.
The plantar fascia is unremarkable. The sinus tarsi is normal. The
soft tissues are normal. There is no joint effusion.
There is a 0.8 x 1.3 cm cortical bony defect along the medial talar
dome with mild subjacent subchondral edema. There is mild subjacent
fading edema. There is no intra-articular loose body or joint
effusion. There is no fracture.
3
Ankle / After 3 surgeries, doctors don’t know what is still wrong with my ankle. Ideas?
« on: November 18, 2018, 06:05:12 PM »
Hi all, I was once very active on here and I know I haven’t been around much lately. I was hoping to heed all of your advice because I am feeling a bit hopeless.
I will try to keep this brief. I’m M/32, 5’9”, 160 lb, Tennessee, US. This is my original journal: http://osteochondraldefect.net/forum/index.php?topic=190.0
I sustained an OCD/osteochondral injury in 2011 from a severe sprain. My ankle never recovered and I had extreme pain with activity. PT failed so I had a microfracture surgery in 2012. My ankle was perfect for 6 months then the new cartilage wore away and I was worse off than before.
I had BMAC/bone marrow transplant (not very invasive) in 2014 which failed. Then later in 2014 I had DeNovo juvenile cadaver cartilage transplant, which seemed to work great.
Since then, since pretty much 6 months after surgery, the bone/cartilage felt good but I had what I always assumed was tendonitis - both on the peroneal tendon (primary pain) and posterior tibialis (secondary). MRIs have shown that the previous OCD looks good and they don’t show much in terms of tendonitis. Yet somehow I still have so much pain/aggravation.
I have seen a few different surgeons and a podiatrist. Multiple rounds of PT have only flared up my ankle. Wearing a boot felt great but the pain resumed after taking off the boot. At the recommendation of pds, I recently got custom orthotics which seemed to work great for a bit but I have relapsed.
My ankle now just feels super aggravated and pissed off a lot of the time. It feels like an extreme pinching (almost a stabbing) pain in the area of my peroneal tendon. I also feel pain around my posterior tib area, but the pain also seems to travel all around my ankle - it is hard to localize. It happens with impact while walking but also if I just rotate my foot around while resting. Even with the orthotics my gait still feels off, my leg/ankle/foot feels weak, and the foot feels loose in the joint.
My foot just slipped off the step and I slammed my foot flat onto the ground, and I felt a shockwave or pain throughout the outside of my ankle (I’m guessing in the peroneal) and subsequently all around the ankle. It was just horrible.
Does anyone have any ideas? Is it still just as simple as tendonitis? At this point how could I treat it? After 3.5 years it feels chronic and severe. Thank you all in advance.
I will try to keep this brief. I’m M/32, 5’9”, 160 lb, Tennessee, US. This is my original journal: http://osteochondraldefect.net/forum/index.php?topic=190.0
I sustained an OCD/osteochondral injury in 2011 from a severe sprain. My ankle never recovered and I had extreme pain with activity. PT failed so I had a microfracture surgery in 2012. My ankle was perfect for 6 months then the new cartilage wore away and I was worse off than before.
I had BMAC/bone marrow transplant (not very invasive) in 2014 which failed. Then later in 2014 I had DeNovo juvenile cadaver cartilage transplant, which seemed to work great.
Since then, since pretty much 6 months after surgery, the bone/cartilage felt good but I had what I always assumed was tendonitis - both on the peroneal tendon (primary pain) and posterior tibialis (secondary). MRIs have shown that the previous OCD looks good and they don’t show much in terms of tendonitis. Yet somehow I still have so much pain/aggravation.
I have seen a few different surgeons and a podiatrist. Multiple rounds of PT have only flared up my ankle. Wearing a boot felt great but the pain resumed after taking off the boot. At the recommendation of pds, I recently got custom orthotics which seemed to work great for a bit but I have relapsed.
My ankle now just feels super aggravated and pissed off a lot of the time. It feels like an extreme pinching (almost a stabbing) pain in the area of my peroneal tendon. I also feel pain around my posterior tib area, but the pain also seems to travel all around my ankle - it is hard to localize. It happens with impact while walking but also if I just rotate my foot around while resting. Even with the orthotics my gait still feels off, my leg/ankle/foot feels weak, and the foot feels loose in the joint.
My foot just slipped off the step and I slammed my foot flat onto the ground, and I felt a shockwave or pain throughout the outside of my ankle (I’m guessing in the peroneal) and subsequently all around the ankle. It was just horrible.
Does anyone have any ideas? Is it still just as simple as tendonitis? At this point how could I treat it? After 3.5 years it feels chronic and severe. Thank you all in advance.
4
Ankle / Re: 4 months post op denovo talar surgery 13 mm size -foot and calf pain
« on: May 28, 2018, 12:49:38 AM »
I am 3.5 years post DeNovo. Seemed to work great on the cartilage but like you I have residual pain elsewhere. I have had peroneal tendinitis for almost 3 years now and have not been able to shake it. The pain feels like pinching on the outside of my ankle and sometimes run down to where plantar fascia pain occurs as you describe. Doctors say it is due to weakness so I have gone through a bunch of sessions of PT and every time it seems to flare it up worse. What has seemed to help a bit has been good shoes, insoles, compression socks, vitamin d, and turmeric.
5
Ankle / Re: Top doctors recommended?
« on: December 16, 2017, 09:00:28 AM »
Hi Tom,
So sorry to hear what you’re going through. OCD is really life-changing and I wouldn’t wish it upon my worst enemy. At this point you are pretty much where I was almost exactly 5 years ago. I got my OCD at 24, my first surgery at 26, and am now 31.
Please let me tell you to proceed with extreme caution here. You seem to be much more informed than I was at 26 - I just thought microfracture would cure me 100% and I would be back to full activity no problem. I had a microfracture at 26, was back to 100% within 4 months.. played softball, basketball, you name it.. and then 2 months later the MF failed and I was worse than ever.
I have gotten 2 surgeries since then - bone marrow aspiration and then DeNovo, which I think finally did the trick but I have accepted I will never run again, and I am still dealing with tendinitis in multiple tendons which affects my gait and causes discomfort/pain in 75% of my steps.
As I said, an OCD is life-changing and having chronic pain will completely affect your mood and psyche, so if you end up getting surgery make sure you do it right the first time. I would strongly advise against MF as I have heard too many stories of it not lasting, especially for young people who want to be active.
If you learn anything at all from me, it is be deliberate and thorough with your decision. Not sure who you saw but I hear Dr Ferkel in CA is great. However, if you can, see 3 or even 4 doctors if you need to - ones who specialize in DeNovo, biocartilage, and MACI - and even consider flying somewhere if you need to. Because once you commit to surgery you are setting yourself up for a potentially very long and difficult journey if it doesn’t work the first time.
Please feel free to read my whole story and let me know if you have any questions.
http://osteochondraldefect.net/forum/index.php?topic=190.0
Mike
So sorry to hear what you’re going through. OCD is really life-changing and I wouldn’t wish it upon my worst enemy. At this point you are pretty much where I was almost exactly 5 years ago. I got my OCD at 24, my first surgery at 26, and am now 31.
Please let me tell you to proceed with extreme caution here. You seem to be much more informed than I was at 26 - I just thought microfracture would cure me 100% and I would be back to full activity no problem. I had a microfracture at 26, was back to 100% within 4 months.. played softball, basketball, you name it.. and then 2 months later the MF failed and I was worse than ever.
I have gotten 2 surgeries since then - bone marrow aspiration and then DeNovo, which I think finally did the trick but I have accepted I will never run again, and I am still dealing with tendinitis in multiple tendons which affects my gait and causes discomfort/pain in 75% of my steps.
As I said, an OCD is life-changing and having chronic pain will completely affect your mood and psyche, so if you end up getting surgery make sure you do it right the first time. I would strongly advise against MF as I have heard too many stories of it not lasting, especially for young people who want to be active.
If you learn anything at all from me, it is be deliberate and thorough with your decision. Not sure who you saw but I hear Dr Ferkel in CA is great. However, if you can, see 3 or even 4 doctors if you need to - ones who specialize in DeNovo, biocartilage, and MACI - and even consider flying somewhere if you need to. Because once you commit to surgery you are setting yourself up for a potentially very long and difficult journey if it doesn’t work the first time.
Please feel free to read my whole story and let me know if you have any questions.
http://osteochondraldefect.net/forum/index.php?topic=190.0
Mike
6
Ankle / Re: 4 years post-DeNovo
« on: November 26, 2017, 10:07:48 AM »
Congrats so much on your huge success, that’s incredible that you are back to running.
I had DeNovo done with Dr Schon 3 years ago, so one year less than you. My OCD looks great on MRI but I have a bunch of other annoyances - I have had tendonitis in my peroneal and Achilles for over 2 years now and can’t shake it. Have tried walking in a boot, multiple rounds of PT, everything, and I still feel it. It feels like a severe pinching/stiffness on the outside of my ankle and on the Achilles. It typically will start to feel a little better after it gets warmed up but for the most part it has been a thorn in my side.
Did you experience this at all after surgery or were you pretty much feeling great throughout the whole recovery? What/where exactly was your pain throughout recovery? How exactly did you get over the hurdles?
Congrats again.
I had DeNovo done with Dr Schon 3 years ago, so one year less than you. My OCD looks great on MRI but I have a bunch of other annoyances - I have had tendonitis in my peroneal and Achilles for over 2 years now and can’t shake it. Have tried walking in a boot, multiple rounds of PT, everything, and I still feel it. It feels like a severe pinching/stiffness on the outside of my ankle and on the Achilles. It typically will start to feel a little better after it gets warmed up but for the most part it has been a thorn in my side.
Did you experience this at all after surgery or were you pretty much feeling great throughout the whole recovery? What/where exactly was your pain throughout recovery? How exactly did you get over the hurdles?
Congrats again.
7
Ankle / Re: Alan - Forum Creator's Thread
« on: October 07, 2017, 09:18:39 PM »
Alan, I’m sorry to hear all the trouble you’re going through but congrats on actually making it back on to the court. That must have been exhilarating. I have completely eliminated sports from my life but yesterday I went and just shot basketballs without jumping and it was surprisingly fun! Your post kind of motivated me to do it. And then every time I air balled I did 10 push-ups haha. Maybe you could get back into athletic things like kayaking, rock climbing, etc. that are good substitutions but not a strain on your ankle.
If you are still in pain it may really be worth getting back to the surgeon or getting a second opinion to try and fix this. My cartilage has held up 3 years post op and now I’m on PT for tendonitis / nerve impingement due to walking weirdly since surgery.
If you are still in pain it may really be worth getting back to the surgeon or getting a second opinion to try and fix this. My cartilage has held up 3 years post op and now I’m on PT for tendonitis / nerve impingement due to walking weirdly since surgery.
8
Ankle / Re: update 2 years 3 months post surgery
« on: June 08, 2017, 05:45:41 AM »
Interesting. Where exactly in your ankle was the pain?
9
Ankle / Re: update 2 years 3 months post surgery
« on: June 07, 2017, 08:43:03 AM »
Congratulations! That's spectacular. Exactly what kind of pain were you experiencing that was resolved by PT?
I have the same kind of results at 2.5 years. No leg crippling pain, but still a nagging stiffness/pinching kind of pain on the outside my ankle that my new doc where I now live says will be resolved with strengthening. Is this similar to what you had?
I have the same kind of results at 2.5 years. No leg crippling pain, but still a nagging stiffness/pinching kind of pain on the outside my ankle that my new doc where I now live says will be resolved with strengthening. Is this similar to what you had?
10
Ankle / Tendonitis after OCD surgery
« on: March 03, 2017, 09:01:10 AM »
Hi all,
Has anyone else experienced tendonitis after OCD surgery (or particularly DeNovo)?
I am a little over 2 years out from DeNovo surgery 12/2014, which was my third surgery in 2 years. The talus itself feels great and I don't have the leg buckling pain that I used to. However, for pretty much a year and a half now, I have been experiencing (I think) tendon pain, stiffness, and weird vibrating/humming/tingling sensations. It is worse after being at rest for a while but when I am up and moving all day it tends to feel better.
My doctors have told me that it is due to weakness and if I get stronger the pain will resolve. However my PT is kind of limited by the pain. When I go up on my toes I feel a little crunching around my Achilles and I also feel a sharp shooting pain on what I think is my peroneal tendon down to under my foot. I also feel a little pain on the inside of my ankle, medial to my achilles. It started to feel better for a little bit but recently, I don't know whether it is a flare up or what, but it feels like it has gotten worse. I got an MRI a few months ago and they said the OCD looks great and is still completely filled in so I really don't think the surgery itself failed.
Is this in fact tendonitis? Could it possibly be a year that didn't show up on MRI? If so, what else could they do to diagnose?
Has anyone else experienced this? Is it resolvable?
Has anyone else experienced tendonitis after OCD surgery (or particularly DeNovo)?
I am a little over 2 years out from DeNovo surgery 12/2014, which was my third surgery in 2 years. The talus itself feels great and I don't have the leg buckling pain that I used to. However, for pretty much a year and a half now, I have been experiencing (I think) tendon pain, stiffness, and weird vibrating/humming/tingling sensations. It is worse after being at rest for a while but when I am up and moving all day it tends to feel better.
My doctors have told me that it is due to weakness and if I get stronger the pain will resolve. However my PT is kind of limited by the pain. When I go up on my toes I feel a little crunching around my Achilles and I also feel a sharp shooting pain on what I think is my peroneal tendon down to under my foot. I also feel a little pain on the inside of my ankle, medial to my achilles. It started to feel better for a little bit but recently, I don't know whether it is a flare up or what, but it feels like it has gotten worse. I got an MRI a few months ago and they said the OCD looks great and is still completely filled in so I really don't think the surgery itself failed.
Is this in fact tendonitis? Could it possibly be a year that didn't show up on MRI? If so, what else could they do to diagnose?
Has anyone else experienced this? Is it resolvable?
11
Ankle / Re: Finally scheduled surgery and worried
« on: January 15, 2017, 07:24:26 PM »
Congrats on making a decision. Who is doing your surgery?
No cramps or hip pain here. Just joint and tendon pain that was so bad my entire leg would buckle.
I have BCBS PPO with my company and my surgery was covered. I paid about $400 for the entire surgery.
No cramps or hip pain here. Just joint and tendon pain that was so bad my entire leg would buckle.
I have BCBS PPO with my company and my surgery was covered. I paid about $400 for the entire surgery.
12
Ankle / Re: My OCD story - failed MF, conservative treatment, and finally DeNovo
« on: January 08, 2017, 07:50:00 PM »
2 year update
Two years already. 6 months ago I posted about nagging stiffness and pain after inactivity, incessant cracking around my Achilles, and that I would be trying another round of PT and getting another MRI.
I tried PT - this place in particular had a different method of focusing on the pain and doing exercises in the range of motion that caused pain, with the idea that my pain is caused by scar tissue and this would break up the scar tissue. Unfortunately this seemed to flair up my ankle and make it hurt worse, so I stopped. And I don't think I quite agree with them thinking my pain is caused by scar tissue.
Instead of going up to Baltimore to see Dr. Schon, I saw an ankle surgeon down here in Florida. I got an MRI, and fortunately he said everything looks great and the defect is still fully filled in with cartilage. I sent the MRI to Dr. Schon and he agreed it looks great. My doctor in Florida recommended I do PT at home, doing the exercises I have done in all my different rounds of PT, but at my own pace because I know my body best.
Since then (3 months ago), I have felt a humongous improvement from strengthening my leg myself. My ankle doesn't really get stiff anymore after car rides and I would say it feels 90% about 90% of the time. Only seldomly do I feel the stiffness that was plaguing me before, and it never ever cracks like it did about 200 times per day 6 months ago. I even ran (well, lightly jogged) out to my car in an emergency this week, ha! I am however finding it difficult to get back to 100% full strength, partly because I do feel pain with many of the exercises, so I have to take it very slowly.
BLT what you said in your last comment rings true as well. I'm starting to think less about all those nagging questions of "how should I turn at this corner" and "how should my ankle be placed", although I still stick to running sneakers pretty much all of the time.
I am going to ramp up my home leg strengthening regimen and hopefully in another 3-6 months I will report back that I am feeling 100%!
Two years already. 6 months ago I posted about nagging stiffness and pain after inactivity, incessant cracking around my Achilles, and that I would be trying another round of PT and getting another MRI.
I tried PT - this place in particular had a different method of focusing on the pain and doing exercises in the range of motion that caused pain, with the idea that my pain is caused by scar tissue and this would break up the scar tissue. Unfortunately this seemed to flair up my ankle and make it hurt worse, so I stopped. And I don't think I quite agree with them thinking my pain is caused by scar tissue.
Instead of going up to Baltimore to see Dr. Schon, I saw an ankle surgeon down here in Florida. I got an MRI, and fortunately he said everything looks great and the defect is still fully filled in with cartilage. I sent the MRI to Dr. Schon and he agreed it looks great. My doctor in Florida recommended I do PT at home, doing the exercises I have done in all my different rounds of PT, but at my own pace because I know my body best.
Since then (3 months ago), I have felt a humongous improvement from strengthening my leg myself. My ankle doesn't really get stiff anymore after car rides and I would say it feels 90% about 90% of the time. Only seldomly do I feel the stiffness that was plaguing me before, and it never ever cracks like it did about 200 times per day 6 months ago. I even ran (well, lightly jogged) out to my car in an emergency this week, ha! I am however finding it difficult to get back to 100% full strength, partly because I do feel pain with many of the exercises, so I have to take it very slowly.
BLT what you said in your last comment rings true as well. I'm starting to think less about all those nagging questions of "how should I turn at this corner" and "how should my ankle be placed", although I still stick to running sneakers pretty much all of the time.
I am going to ramp up my home leg strengthening regimen and hopefully in another 3-6 months I will report back that I am feeling 100%!
13
Ankle / Re: Successful procedures? -- pre-surgery jitters
« on: January 08, 2017, 07:35:48 PM »
Hey man, I'm really sorry to hear what you're going through. I'm 30 now and you're exactly where I was at ~6 years ago when I injured my ankle.
I also was forced into PT before an MRI, which also made my ankle worse. The incompetence of some doctors is just unbelievable. Since then I have seen about 5 ankle docs in the Philadelphia, DC, and Baltimore area. I have had 3 surgeries - a microfracture in Sept 2012, a bone marrow aspiration (hail mary, low-risk procedure) in Sept 2014, and finally DeNovo cartilage implantation in Dec 2014.
The microfracture worked great and I felt 100% for about 6 months - back to softball, basketball, etc. - then all of a sudden (I think after rolling my ankle again), I was back to worse than ever. I am now 2 years post-DeNovo and for the most part feel great. I am not running and will probably never run or play high impact sports again, but I walk without pain almost all of the time. Ever since the surgery the joint itself has felt great - none of that leg-buckling pain I felt before. But for the first like 1.5 years I had nagging stiffness/achiness/tendinitis around my Achilles and peroneal tendons, I think partly because I babied my ankle so much I never got it back to full strength. Now that I am working harder to really strengthen it, the pain is slowly subsiding. I can walk pretty much normally about 90% of the time, but it does still get stiff after periods of inactivity. I have lowered my expectations for activity in the future and am now, after reading other stories, just happy to be walking pain-free.
I know you have already seen 10 docs, but I would consider seeing Dr. Schon in Baltimore (depending on where you live). He is the expert in DeNovo and has been a god-send for me. Before DeNovo I was where you are.. I had a severe limp and at some points I literally could not walk. Now I am walking again, lifting, swimming, and biking. The only reason I am still in some pain is because I had 3 surgeries in a very short amount of time so I have a lot of residual weakness and scar tissue I'm still trying to work through.
If you want to read my full story, from beginning through my DeNovo surgery with pictures from the surgery, check it out here: http://osteochondraldefect.net/forum/index.php?topic=190.0
That was long-winded, but the gist of what I am trying to say is that there is hope for you. The first surgery is the most important one, so make it count by getting the right procedure with the right doctor. The more surgeries you have to get the less chance you have a getting back to a normal life. If I can give any advice, it is to be patient. Take your time in choosing your doctor for surgery, and after surgery don't rush back into activity. I was great after my first surgery, went back too early, and ended up ruining the cartilage that grew back.
Let me know if you have any other questions as well, and feel free to PM me.
I also was forced into PT before an MRI, which also made my ankle worse. The incompetence of some doctors is just unbelievable. Since then I have seen about 5 ankle docs in the Philadelphia, DC, and Baltimore area. I have had 3 surgeries - a microfracture in Sept 2012, a bone marrow aspiration (hail mary, low-risk procedure) in Sept 2014, and finally DeNovo cartilage implantation in Dec 2014.
The microfracture worked great and I felt 100% for about 6 months - back to softball, basketball, etc. - then all of a sudden (I think after rolling my ankle again), I was back to worse than ever. I am now 2 years post-DeNovo and for the most part feel great. I am not running and will probably never run or play high impact sports again, but I walk without pain almost all of the time. Ever since the surgery the joint itself has felt great - none of that leg-buckling pain I felt before. But for the first like 1.5 years I had nagging stiffness/achiness/tendinitis around my Achilles and peroneal tendons, I think partly because I babied my ankle so much I never got it back to full strength. Now that I am working harder to really strengthen it, the pain is slowly subsiding. I can walk pretty much normally about 90% of the time, but it does still get stiff after periods of inactivity. I have lowered my expectations for activity in the future and am now, after reading other stories, just happy to be walking pain-free.
I know you have already seen 10 docs, but I would consider seeing Dr. Schon in Baltimore (depending on where you live). He is the expert in DeNovo and has been a god-send for me. Before DeNovo I was where you are.. I had a severe limp and at some points I literally could not walk. Now I am walking again, lifting, swimming, and biking. The only reason I am still in some pain is because I had 3 surgeries in a very short amount of time so I have a lot of residual weakness and scar tissue I'm still trying to work through.
If you want to read my full story, from beginning through my DeNovo surgery with pictures from the surgery, check it out here: http://osteochondraldefect.net/forum/index.php?topic=190.0
That was long-winded, but the gist of what I am trying to say is that there is hope for you. The first surgery is the most important one, so make it count by getting the right procedure with the right doctor. The more surgeries you have to get the less chance you have a getting back to a normal life. If I can give any advice, it is to be patient. Take your time in choosing your doctor for surgery, and after surgery don't rush back into activity. I was great after my first surgery, went back too early, and ended up ruining the cartilage that grew back.
Let me know if you have any other questions as well, and feel free to PM me.
14
Ankle / Re: Older OCD lesion
« on: November 23, 2016, 12:50:06 PM »
Hi there, I can't speak for having an old OCD, but I will say that I failed one MF. Felt great for 6 months and then once I got back into activity it felt worse than ever. I had DeNovo done with Schon 2 years ago and feel great now. I would say at this point I feel 100% about 80% of the time, and the other 20% is stiffness after inactivity and weakness. I know this is all experiential but I would highly recommend at least speaking with Schon to hear his opinion. Check out my post if you would like to read through the full detailed story.
15
Ankle / Re: Concerned
« on: July 07, 2016, 02:13:12 PM »
1.5 years post DeNovo, same story here. Joint itself feels great still have some residual tendon pain as well as weakness in my ankle/leg. Don't even try to evaluate how successful your surgery was until you're a year out - that's how long the recovery really takes.