no quad control following arthroscopy

hi there,

i had a right knee arthroscopy for a meniscal tear as i had that and a bakers cyst.......but no activity in my right quad since the op and to this very day!!!!

can you tell me your age and your weight? this may be a more serious problem.

hi there

im 46 and am currently 12 stone, 2 stone overweight but thats through inactivity the last 2 years because of this quad. before the op i was very fit and played squash, went running and had a physical job as cabin crew.

i have had ultrasounds, alsorts of tests, seen a chiropracter etc but noone can figure out the reason for this quad inactivity  which started right after the op.....at the time they said this was normal for an arthroscopy and they expected me to wake up one day and be able to lift my leg...im still waiting!!!! no sensory problems at all, just motor problems, and i now have patella baja....what are your thoughts? thanks for your response

What about down the knee, do you have problems with calf muscles and with your foot?

hi there, absolutely no problems with my foot whatsoever. my calf is quite tight acc to my physio, but i am also in a leg brace, have been for 6 months now.....my leg kept giving way due to the quad atrophy and i fell and fractured my patella about 6 months ago. fracture has healed now but got knee instability and  ho quad power so i think thats why im still in a brace.

are you quite knowledgable on these things???

i just cant believe it, went in for a simple routine op and all this has happened and no one knows why !!!!

Hi Helen. Well, damage to motor nerves could cause muscle arthrophy but even tho possible, these kind of problems from a meniscus surgey are rare, however, I think they are common on bakers cyst removement, but im pretty sure your physio would notice this or even think about it, the fact that you cant do a single leg raise for 2 years now and that further injuries have come because of the lack of quad strength tells us that you did not have a good surgery, and in the best case you should have a revision surgery. I recommend you to talk to your surgeon and explain everything about your situation. Have you tried riding a static cycle?

thats really interesting...i really appreciate any advice i can get....its so difficult to get any answers and all the consultants just seem baffled!!! its all a nightmare i tell you... i wondered at one point if it couldhave beentourniquet related.

seeing a consultant 13 march....already have a long list !!!!

cant get on/off cycle coz of all the problems but physio tried me last week on a set of pedals but she said my left leg was doin all the work and overcompensating.....

I hope you will regain quad strength as soon as possible. If you get any opinion or consult id kindly ask you to post it here because im really interested in your case. Best regards

thankyou for your interest and kind words.will post any updates. best wishes,helen.

Hi kittylamb

I was wondering if your quads are working yet,how long after surgery did they start to work..I had knee arthscopy 4weeks today only stopped using my crutches last week... I climb my stairs like a creature still not driving got app quick with Pt.. Buy all I've heard is quads sometimes shut down..... Do they work again... Are they damaged for good I feel like no one's got answers for me my doctor that I went to 10days after my surgery had no clue as to what and why my quads have shut down

X

hi there

thanks for your message.....my quad still not working in my right leg...and noone is sure if its nerve damage or a problem at the muscle and nerve junction etc!!! i was told origially that it is normal for quads to shut down after an op but then with physio etc...eventually they come back but mine never did,...and i did everything i was told!!! im in a full leg brace to stop my knee from giving way...and fed up of it all.!!! have seen specialists at RNOH in london, neurologists in walton...and am currently seeing the guys at oswestry....but nothing seems to help. i dont think this is the norm though!!!

are you in uk?

keep in touch and let me know what happens.

helen xx

yeah in glasgow. when i went to my doctor 10 days after surgery to explain to her i couldn't raise my leg or kick it out sitting down or standing , she was baffled . so she called the knee clinic got a app the week after and the doc there sais he was sure it was just the after math of the trauma of the operation and was sure next time i came to see him ( 16th this month ) that he was sure there would be improvement , not likely!! . they talk like there going by there textbooks not by the patient .. my leg keeps giving way also just buckles ... im not able to lift my leg into bed i have to grab my ankle to lift my left leg . i know how you feel about being fed up ,it is driving me crazy not being able to drive , or having to crawl up my stairs ..it defindilty is not normal , they say people are up and on there feet, driving resuming activities yet they dont tell you much about the the people that dont bounce back from such a simple operation .i have been scouring the internet to see if i can make sense as to why its not working yet , i keep coming across a quadriceps tendon rupture , have you been tested or was that something doctors mentioned to you ,,im going to say to my PT and anything else i can come across to get someone to take me seriously and not just say ,, it takes time ,, i also have been doing my exercises i got from PT even though im only 4 weeks post op , i know i have a long haul ahead i just need doctors to listen 

, what did you do after your PT sessions ended do they refer you to someone else is it a constant battle back and forth to doctors .

thank you for getting back to me xx

hi again

wow....sounds similar to me....everyone is baffled and they just keep sending me to different specialists...they used to say...oh just give it time!!1 now they are saying...well its beeen to long now!!! i have tried everything...nhs physio, private physio, chiropracter, acupuncture, even hypnotherapy!!! had MRIS/ xrays/ ultra sounds...but they cant figure out what is going on...the nerve appears to be in tact but isnt functioning/supplying the muscle!!! i got an electro stimulation machine from my physio but even that wont make the quad muscle contract.

they all keep telling me different things!!

cant raise my leg, kept falling and at point fell and broke my kneecap and as i say im now in a leg brace which stops me falling but doesnt solve the actual problem!! i have no reflex now in that knee either!!!

i lost my job as was doing a manual job and have had to move up to wales where my folks live to try and get myself sorted...but its just a constant variety of appointments etc...and as you say a constant battle back and forth to people.

apparently i was just unlucky and none of the specialists have ever heard of this happening before!!!!!!!!

wish i had never had the op....was a fit, healthy 45 year old...and now i cant believe the impact this so called SIMPLE op has had on my life!!

i be so interested to know any progress etc with you....we must keep in touch

give my love to glasgee...love it there...got quite a few pals around glasgow..paisley rd west, and surrounding areas

take care and good luck

h x

paisley road west not far from me  , I'm in Kirkintilloch .

that's my worry about the leg giving way my hip is hurting as i tend to lift my hip to move my leg and my back is starting to hurt ..scary to think i will be permanent, i have had a doctor say to me "your young fit and healthy be back to  normal in no time."

i will defo keep in touch with you with my progress, please do the same , xx

yep...thats what i do...they call it hip hitching apparently and i have constamt hip and backache.

the worst thing is trying to walk on a downward slope, i have to go sideways!!

i was working as cabin crew at B.A so theres no way i could have gone back to work..and they told me a couple of months recovery originally!!

be in touch soon

hxx

I'm here in the US and I'm 8 weeks out from surgery. Although I'm 3 weeks out from having an MUA. Yesterday my PT stated my quads were not contracting and is baffled. I can't walk without use of a walker. I can do leg lifts, but my knee stays slightly bent. I also can't fully straighten my leg while standing or sitting in a chair. I'm getting worried. I too am getting tired of hearing "give it time".

I would love to know if you gave found any help with your quad my doctor just kelp saying that one morning I will wake up and it will be working like nothing ever happened, it's been over 2 years and it hasn't happened, I have talked to other doctor's and they haven't ever heard of this. I really would like to find some ideas to fix my leg. Thanks so much for your help.

I am having the same issue with mine.  I am almost 3 weeks post op.  My physical therapist did deep tissue massage and had me start on a bike.  I can't do a full circle on it yet.  So i peddle forward as much as I can and hold it for 10 seconds and then go backwards as far as I can and hold it.  I do this for 10 minutes 3 times a day.  I have a few more exercises I do that seems to be helping.  If you want more on the others I am doing let me know.

Hi Melissa, I would like to know how you are doing and what, if anything, helped you.  My 12 year old daughter is 8 weeks post op with similar issues that you described. This is terrifying especially for someone so young.  We are in US. 

Hi Leslie, I am doing ok. Due to my age I had to have a total knee replacement. I did have better results from physical therapy but could not properly lift my leg or bend it. I am 4 months post op for this total knee and FINALLY can do a straight leg lift and the bending is improving. I can finally walk with a cane now, but still have a lot of rehab as a total knee surgery is brutal to recover from, especially from someone like me that has had such nerve and muscular problems.

I hope your daughter is doing better. Too young to have such problems.

Hi. I am curious as to why you asked your questions and was wondering if you had insight for me. I was overweight before my arthroscopic knee surgery for meniscus tear and I'm 53. It's been almost two years since my surgery and it's been very hard for me to walk. I have chronic weakness/pain in leg from the surgery since then. My calf has been swollen since the surgery and goes down to the ankle. My EMG came out normal. I haven't gotten clear answers. Do you have any suggestions/knowledge that could help me? This has been super hard.

Thx!!

I am so sorry for your pain.  Weight definitely isn't helpful for knee problems.  I have been working with my daughter to reduce her BMI.  The concern is that 2 years have gone by.  I had heard that knee problems need to be dealt with quickly within 90 days of surgery to avoid permanent chronic issues.  It was very scary, but we were able to get my daughter to the point that she is able to walk pain free.  She isn't able to run though, and is still in PT.  I don't know if we will get there.  My suggestion is to get a really good PT.  We changed PTs and it made a big difference.  The calf pain going down to the ankle is something that my daughter has experienced recently when trying to run.  Her PT taped both the ankle and knee saying that her knee cap slips out of position and that puts pressure where it shouldn't or something like that.  Anyway we have hopes to get past that, but rely heavily on the PT.  It is good that your EMG is normal.  Get a good PT and work to get slow gradual improvement.  Worst situation is when improvement stops.  Hope this is helpful and I will pray for you.

 

Thank you Leslie, that is kind of you. Unfortunately physical therapy just tends to cause more pain, and leg buckling. I'm about to go to a physiatrist. Apparently they have more schooling/ knowledge than physical therapists and deal more with disability issues. Although I have much more knee pain since my knee surgery, I never had walking issues or leg weakness before the surgery so I know weight isn't the cause of this. A lady I met who had the same surgery said that she has no weakness/walking issues and is around 50 1bs heavier than me. So I'm trying to make sense of what happened. I hope your daughter makes a full recovery. She is blessed to have you. Thanks for your prayers 💟

Hi, I saw a physiatrist also found bursitis.   I've gone 2 years without a leg raise.  Able to do now.   Your knee is made of 3 compartments. what I learned on my own with my PT.  To get a TKR there is criteria to meet which I still don't know what is however if you bend your knee 90 degrees with pain that means your not a candidate as the meniscus acts as a cushion and more effective at 90-125 degrees.  The only thing you can do is continue on with your PT reduce the pain and the pain from bursitis inside and outside of the knee. Use voltaren with ultra sound. Do Russian Stim and have your PT massage your quads and IT band. Massage the entire area from hip and leg connection down to tibia. You will feel spasms and knots once you work on that in time you should be able to leg raise.  You won't feel much change as to getting any better.  I get more spasms to the outside of my knee and IT band as most my damage is medial inside and centre of knee.  This really sucks and very frustrating which increases mental health issues also. One vicious cycle 

Thanks, I appreciate all of your help. Did your physiatrist or a ortho say why you couldn't do a leg raise for two years? Did you have an EMG? If so, was it normal? Did they say that the weakness was from the surgery? Sorry for all the questions, I'm just trying to make sense of my weakness but having normal EMG. (I did get it a year and half after surgery though which may have been to late to show anything.