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no quad control following arthroscopy

Posted , 19 users are following.

kittylamb
kittylamb

hi there

had a routine right knee arthroscopy under gen anaesthetic in nov 2012. 2 weeks later on removing dressing and stiches, physio noted i was unable to do a straight leg raise. was sent to physio, had lots of tests and 2 years later am still unable to do a striaght leg raise, use stairs properly etc.my knee gives way constantly and as a result i ended up with a stellate patellar fracture and patella baja., after a bad fall 12 months ago..i have been in a leg brace for 6 months and see a physio but there has been no change in my quad. my quad has atrophied and i have no motor power. there is no sensory loss however.

any advice /?/ anything at all???

kind regards

helen

0 likes, 149 replies

149 Replies

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  • mary0606
    mary0606 kittylamb

    Posted

    Are you able to get another opinion from a different surgeon, ? If the person that operated doesn't know I'd be reluctant to go back to them.
    • kittylamb
      kittylamb mary0606

      Posted

      hi there

      i have indeed seen several different consultants since the op, but they all seem baffled...... nightmare!!!!!

  • mary0606
    mary0606 kittylamb

    Posted

    Yes it sure is. I hope you get favourable results..my husband is waiting for an arthroscopy and I am very nervous about him doing it, whilst he can still walk I say wait.
    • kittylamb
      kittylamb mary0606

      Posted

      thanks for your good wishes. most arthroscopys are very successful...think i was just unlucky......im sure your husband will be fine...best of luck.x
    • jaime63842
      jaime63842 kittylamb

      Posted

      I Was searching for some answers and came across this. I had a partial knee replacement 5 weeks ago and I'm having issues with my quad. I cannot lift my leg without my can. ( I hook my foot with the handle) to move around and to get into my Jeep. I am going to physical therapy and they are making all efforts to stimulate that muscle..I see concern on his face when we discuss it. I'm definitely very worried because I have to go back to work at some point..I'm just very afraid because it gives out when I'm walking and has only made minimal improvement. I see my Dr on 2-16 so not sure what he'll say.

    • kittylamb
      kittylamb jaime63842

      Posted

      hi there

      good luck with the docs and id be so interested to see what they say....you have probably seen my posts re my quad etc...i cant do a straight leg raise either and noone seems to be able to stimulate my muscle...i live in hope..good luck and keep in touch

      helen x

    • Art_lover
      Art_lover jaime63842

      Posted

      Hi. Did you have an EMG, and did it come out normal? I'm still having chronic weakness/walking issues almost 2 years since surgery, but my EMG was normal.

    • misfiring
      misfiring Art_lover

      Posted

      Hi there - are you still having issues?  I had knee surgery almost 4 years ago and have been dealing with misfiring muscles in my leg (not just the quad but pretty much all the muscles in the leg) since then.  I've been to dozens of doctors and therapists and no one has been able to tell me what's going on or why.  I'm willing to try/do anything to try to fix this but so far nothing I've tried has helped.  Neurologists all say there's no evidence of nerve damage but they can't tell me why I can't control my leg.  I hope you were able to get some help?  

    • Art_lover
      Art_lover misfiring

      Posted

      Hi. Wow, that's so hard, so sorry. Yeah, my EMG came up normal to, but my physiatrist says there's chronic weakness in my Vastus Medialis muscle (a part of the quad muscle, and a lot of scar tissue in knee (both from surgery).

      I'm getting better but it's been 2 years and still not walking right yet with knee pain. I'm hoping to get a recumbent excerise bike soon. I'm trying to strengthen quads with excerises but it can make my knee pain worse.

      From what I've read EMG's only pick up long nerve fiber damage, so there can be small nerves that got damaged from surgery that EMG isn't showing.

      Crazy isn't it? All from a supposedly routine surgery. You may want to try going to a Physiatrist. They are actual doctors who may be able to pinpoint the muscle issue better than a physical therapist. Then you can take that info to a physical therapist who can work on those specific muscles.

      Ps, I feel you have puffiness in your knee there could still be enough fluid that is keeping the quads weakened. Lymph drainage massage might be helpful. ..I'm going to try that at some point.

    • Art_lover
      Art_lover

      Posted

      "If you feel you have puffiness in the knee.."

  • kindashani
    kindashani kittylamb

    Posted

    Hi, I had a very similar situation. I'm lost quad control after meniscus surgery. I still have little control 10 months later. I cannot go up nor down Stairs . I can't go up on my toes,no squats ,sometimes when I walk my leg just gives out. I also have a partial Acl tear. But I just kept with the physio. My therapist said he believes it was a result of the surgery my body saw it as further trauma and shut down the leg. 

    So it think you maybe be experiencing what I am. My quad just feels dead!! 

    • kittylamb
      kittylamb kindashani

      Posted

      hi there, wow, thats really interesting as every consultant i have seen all seem mystified and cant give me a reason this has happened. do you know if your body shuts down the leg..is it possible for it to then get it to work again? my op was 2 years ago and i have no quad control at all, impossible todo a straight leg raise...not coz of pain..but just coz the leg wont do what i tell it..its like a dead weight. i am in a leg brace due to knee giving way and there seems to be no end in sight!!!am worried that this is permanent now....and i have lost my job on medical grounds as i was a flight attendant and involves a lot of bending etc......nonone will give timescales etc and noone seems to know why or how this has happened. so frustrating. have you seen any improvement with physio?and have consultants given you any more info/timescales etc?

      thanks for your info

      kind regards

      helen

    • Art_lover
      Art_lover kindashani

      Posted

      I been having chronic leg weakness/walking for two years since the exact surgery you had, but my EMG was normal. How are you doing now?
  • crimbofairy
    crimbofairy kittylamb

    Posted

    Im sorry to hear your predicament. I too am in a similar situation and was begining to think i was the only person who had this problem. I have been in a wheelchair mainly for past 18 months waiting for my knee surgery. I had surgery about 9 weeks ago and have been having problems with my bend and cant do leg lifts for toffee!! I had mpfl but have already have 2 falls and dislocations since surgery the mpfl ligament has done its job but because my quads are inactive my leg in like jelly and my knee is still unstable and so the problem continues. I also had artriscopy as part of my procedure, to see what else was going on. Ive been given till middle of may to sort my bend out by my surgeon but my physio now thinks its not really a problem with my bend and its my quads not working and the muscle loss thats the problem stopping the bend its convincing the surgeons this or finding a way to prove before they try to take me back into theatre again!!
    • kittylamb
      kittylamb crimbofairy

      Posted

      hi there

      thats really interesting....i just cant believe its 2 and a half years ago that i had the op and i cant do a leg raise..it seems the quad has totally shutdown and neither the consultants or physios know what to do. i could do a slr before the op and now i cant, but from the theatre notes it was a routine op ...but noone seems to be able to give me any answers...feel like im just waiting.....for anything...yet nothing happens...and meanwhile am still in full leg brace and very limited as to what i can do.  before the op i was full time cabin crew and played squash etc...yet they are all telling me it cant be due to the op !!!!! so frustrating !!!!! how do we get our quads working again????

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