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Looking for best doctor to treat knee in SF bay area

Posted , 7 users are following.

madnan479
madnan479

Hi,

My wife has had knee dislocation since her childhood. She had knee arthoscopy with lateral release in Aug-2015. The doctor told us that the proceedure was very likely to resolve the issue. However, it has been about 6 months and she cannot bend her knee more than 40 degrees. Now the doctor says he does not know why her knee isn't bending and he is suspecting that her patella tendon has problem that cause knee pain and that is why she cannot bend her knee. Although he confirms that right after the arthoscopy he was able to bend her knee all the way while she was under anesthesia. So he is suggesting that we go with TTT (Tibial Tubercle Transfer surgery) where he could cut the bone and move her patella inwards to help with dislocation & pain. This surgery is invasive and we are scared and looking for second opinon.

So does anyone on this forum knows a very good doctor in bay area who could provide us second opinion and confirm the diagnosis?

Do you feel that her current doctor will mind if he comes to know that we are seeking second opinion?

We will appreciate your responses.

0 likes, 15 replies

15 Replies

  • jude48
    jude48 madnan479

    Posted

    Hello tyou

    you sound as though you two are at you wits end ?

    if you live in the UK I can recommend MR NEIL BRADLEY

    he specialises in knee & hip replacements

    he done a fantastic job on my TKR last December

    and could not have received better treatment

    any in the workd

    jude UK

     

  • Oldfatguy1
    Oldfatguy1 madnan479

    Posted

    Don't know of any Dr in particular but would suggest the orthopedic section at Stanford medical center. I do know they are using some of the newer techniques in bone work. Also they are the traing ground for many of the areas surgeon. Our nephew did his pre med work there and then his residency. Now an internal medicine Dr specializing in infectious disease at another N W university hospital. The other one to check would be SFU......at one time they were the medical center for some of the area sports teams. I'm not sure in your case that a sports medicine specialist is the answer. I'll keep your post handy and when I talk to my brother in Law in Menlo park this weekend I'll see if he has anyone in mind. He's pretty well connected through his son, the young man I just mentioned, and his pre retirement employment as cfo of a very large west coast charity.
  • Oldfatguy1
    Oldfatguy1 madnan479

    Posted

    Forgot to ask if you are in the north or south bay area. If you are over east UC Davis med center is really good I understand. My other brother in Law in Sacramento has had some really good things to say about their overall research in several departments.
    • madnan479
      madnan479 Oldfatguy1

      Posted

      Hi,

      Thank you for the reply and apologies for the late response. I read your reply the day you posted and did some search. It turns out there is a very famous orthopedic surgeon in Stanford Medical - Dr. Jason Dragoo. I called his office and they asked us to request her current surgeon to send him a referral. Apparently, they dont give second opinoin without consent of the surgeon who performed the last surgery. We are going to see her surgeon on Thursday and I will request him to release her record to Dr. Dragoo. 

      By the way, we live in San Jose /Santa Clara region.

    • Oldfatguy1
      Oldfatguy1 madnan479

      Posted

      You are about to be free of the masses and able to move about again after this past week. .Sister in law/brother in law live in Menlo Park and have been groussing around about traffic for the last 2 weeks. I sort of assumed Stanford would be the direction. Like I think I mentioned, my wife's nephew did his undergrad and residency in internal medicine there. He and his wife both graduated from Stanford w/ a 4.0 but he couldn't get into med school because of the admissions requirments covering legacies, minority and non citizen requirements. They both went to Georgetown I medical school and then got to come back to do his residency 10 min from home
  • sueisobel
    sueisobel madnan479

    Posted

    I had TTT many years ago when I was in my 20's, it was done in order to make my knee more stable in order to support my right knee which was more or less giving up the ghost.  I am now in my 60's and have only just had my knee replaced.  incidentally, although I had to have the screw from the transfer taken out a long time ago, the transfer itself is still good.  It is pretty invasive, but the knee is stable and does not dislocated as the tendon is placed so that it pulls the patella in a slightly different direction.  With exercise (you will be surprised how quickly ones muscles atrophy) your wife will be back to normal.   There is nothing wrong with 2nd and 3rd opinions, but it is also a matter of having faith in the person you are seeing.  Please remember, just because you don't hear the diagnosis you are/were hoping for, does not mean that consultant is wrong.  Also searching online looking for reasons/answers pre-surgery will send you all over the place, with every person giving you their own answers.  it can leave you more frustrated than satisfied.  Hope that gives you some hope.  Wishing your wife well
    • madnan479
      madnan479 sueisobel

      Posted

      Thank you very much for the reply. Your response definately gives us a hope and also points out the right perspective. 
    • sueisobel
      sueisobel madnan479

      Posted

      Hi again

      I have been doing some reading up, to see what has changed over the years. The results are…. Nothing.  There does appear to be a debate over whether or not, when doing this procedure, to do a bone graft (which is what I had).  The general consensus is that the bone graft is stronger.  My eyes kept going cross-eyed, the more I read, the more technical the words became.  Why they can’t talk in plain English lord only knows.  Your wife is young, her recovery rate, if her health is good, will be swift.  She will feel sore both in the are they took bone from and the area they will graft the bone to, but it is like a normal bone break. You wait until the bone heals.  After a few weeks she should be able to do light muscle flexing exercises, but that is down to the surgeon.  The patella are will feel really weird; but remember, it has been moved to a new home after 27 years in the old one!!!  Think about it, all those years doing as you want, then all of a sudden, you are moved.  The upshot of this though, is at the end of it, after all the discomfort, the pain, the waiting for the knee to give way. It won’t.  That is what you both have to focus on.  It will feel for a while, that every time your wife moves her knee the bone grates.  It will all settle down.  If she is intolerant to non precious metal (they screw they use to secure the bone is surgical steel), she will be able to have the screw taken out.  This is done under a local anaesthetic, so no over-night stay in hospital required.  I hope that is someway to putting your minds at ease.

  • joyce_61477
    joyce_61477 madnan479

    Posted

    Hi,

    I haven't responded on this blog for awhile, but your question regarding your wife motivated me. I am 57 and had a bilateral TKR 10 1/2 mo ago. Prior to scheduling that surgery, one of the orthopedic surgeons I saw recommended the TTT surgery for me. My primary ortho, who is older but excellent...and no longer performs surgery, strongly discouraged that procedure. He said it is a very difficult recovery with only a 15% success rate. Of course your wife's issues may be completely different than mine wee, but he assured me that thus particular procedure has a very Poe success rate regardless. As far as San Francisco, was just there last week and was was able to walk up and down those hills now! Unfortunately, don't know of any MDs. All u can say get more opinions until you feel comforts and confident in your ortho.

    Good luck

    Joyce

    • madnan479
      madnan479 joyce_61477

      Posted

      Hi Joyce,

      Thank you very much for the reply. The low success rate is alarming. Considering my wife is 27 years old, I think she can recover completely if diagnosed correctly and proper course of actions are taken. We are going to see her surgeon on Thursday and have finalzied two doctors for second opinion.

  • sarah87162
    sarah87162 madnan479

    Posted

    I went to an osteopath once when I was still under a hospital consultant for my knee.

    Although theconsultasnt had said there was nothing more he could do his registrar said he would have been extremely cross. So they discharged me from the hospital.

    Sarah

  • forrest11258
    forrest11258 madnan479

    Posted

    Hello,

    I just had a PKR 7 weeks ago. 

    My recovery has been right on target the whole way so far. I have also gotten so many compliments believe it or not on my scar over my knee because it is so perfect and clean. He used glue rather than staples etc. 

    I hand picked my Dr. after much research. who came highly recommended by all the professionals in his community who all hold him in extremely high regard.   I had been going to another well known Orthopaedic group for years in WC  and through several occurances made the decision to move on to something better.  I was not disappointed.

    I live in Fairfield (a transplant from San Ramon/Danville area).  The doctor I was referred to is  Dr. Aaron Salyapongse, Medical Director of Stanford  ValleyCare's Joint Replacement Institute which is located in Pleasanton.  He is young, vibrant, brilliant and is a team player.  Being from the SF Bay Area you know that this was quite a jaunt for me but I can assure you well worth it.  

    I wish you well and hope that you find immediate resolution around such a debilliating issue that severly affects one's life. 

  • forrest11258
    forrest11258 madnan479

    Posted

    Sorry I forgot to mention that the care at Stanford Valley Care Hospital is supurb.  In comparison to the many experiences I have had with John Muir in WC.,  this hospital is outstanding with their level of care and service.  Due to the fact that they merged with Stanford, they are held to an extremely high standard to adhere to. 
    • madnan479
      madnan479 forrest11258

      Posted

      Hi, 

      Thank you very much for the reply. We live in San Jose and another friend of mine recommended the same doctor. Currently we are planning to seek two second opinion - One from Dr. Jason Dragoo in Stanford and the other from Dr. Salyapongse. 

    • forrest11258
      forrest11258 madnan479

      Posted

      Hi, 

      Just jumped back on and saw that you are on it and got the help you need.

      You can't go wrong with the two choices that you are going with.  I hope that you update us all and let us know how it went.

      Take care and best of luck to you both.

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