Torn Meniscus and mild Chondromalacia

Well atleast my ridin season is over. I just had some new mri's over the thanksgiving holiday, turns out I have a torn Meniscus, my patella has shifted laterally which in-turn has led to some scarring and the initial stages of chondromalacia (sp). I'm having surgery Dec 13, to repair the meniscus and patella, my question is what is the down time associated with this kind of procedure. And if the chondromalacia progresses will this mean the end to my wakeboarding, and all board sports for that matter? Thanks for the input!

I had it 6 weeks ago, and Im going 100%. Rode all weekend. Just go to PT and work hard.

"Chondromalacia Patella is often used by physicians as a catch-all term to describe anterior knee pain that results from patellar malalignment. The strict definition, however, is simply the degeneration of the cartilage on the posterior aspect of the kneecap. "

I have runner's knee and have learned to live with it (and hopefully correct a lot of it in the off season.) I wear superfeet insoles in my bindings to help correct underpronation of my feet (i have no arch) and i wear runner's knee bands (? i forgot official name) to help with poor patella tracking. Do a lot of internet research and you will learn a lot about your conditions and what specifically you have. It will also help to see a physical therapist trained in sports medicine and make sure they check your body for proper alignment. It was amazing how jacked up my whole body was just because the lack of arch was misaligning everything.

Jason G... How many days after your surgery did it take fot you to be back on your feet ie. with crutches.
Andrew thanks for the info I have been researching the surgery and symptoms for the past couple of days, it is good to know that these injuries and surgeries are common place and easily fixed!

Jason, I walked out of the OR. I "carried" my crutches around for 2 days but never really needed them. Was back at work without crutches on day 4. Many in my office didnt even know I had surgery.

I had my damaged material removed, not repaired. Much quicker recovery.

Im a pretty athletic guy, so I was in good shape going in, and good shape coming out. I went to a sport PT place and worked hard 4 times a week for 3 weeks, and kept pushing myself afterwards. Basically, the joint feels fine after the surgery. The swelling from the invasiveness is what you have to overcome. You cant allow swelling to limit your flexibility for a long period or it will be hard to get back. I had surgery on a Thurs and was at PT getting stretched on Mon.

The surgery itself is fairly minor; its how you work after the procedure that makes the difference.

start taking glucosamine to prevent/slow down further progression of the chondromalacia. My doc recommends it and is actually been taking it for almost 5 years now. Do some research on it. Make sure you buy from a reputable company. I'm taking Cosamin DS from Nutramax.

i had the repair done about 3 months ago and i am still rehabbing. knee imobilizer for the first 4 weeks then crutches for another 2-3 without the brace.

Hey Guys I had my surgery today to repair the meniscus!! It was alot easier than I had imagined. I appreciate the advice from all!! Thank goodness the surgeon only scoped my knee, he had thought he would have to open my knee up to repair my sublimated patella! So hopefully I am going to start PT monday. I will post some pics later this week, once again thanks for everyones input!

good luck on the recovery jason.

yeah i take glucosamine too - i recommend it for all wakeboarders, not just the ones with known problems.