Sharp Pain & Reduced Range of Motion Starting 6-7 Weeks Post Chondroplasty

Hi there,

I'm a 28 year old woman who is relatively athletic and active, for reference.

About eight weeks ago, I had an arthroscopic procedure on my right knee to debride some damaged and fragmented cartilage on my patella and femoral condyle (chondroplasty). While the ortho team was in there, they debrided the fat pad, performed a slight lateral release to better align my patella, and collected a cartilage biopsy in case future cartilage repair is needed.

I was weight bearing immediately post op, and climbing stairs without any knee pain for the first time in years! I regained full range of motion after 4-5 weeks, and I was running and biking again, PAIN FREE. It was glorious. The relief I felt was tremendous!

The last of the swelling and bruising was finally fading, when I developed pain and discomfort in the knee again. When I attempt to fully extend the knee, I experience a sharp pain at the medial aspect of my patella and the end of my femur. I took a few days off and have been icing and taking NSAIDs regularly, but its been almost two weeks and now its even painful to walk at times. The pain is always on the medial side.

I called my doctor's office last week and the nurse I spoke to told me not to worry, and that I just needed more rest. Well, I'm resting and the pain is intensifying.

I have an appointment to see the surgeon again next week, but in the mean time, I was wondering if anybody else had a similar experience.

PLEASE TELL ME IT'LL GET BETTER.

Thanks in advance!

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