medial patellofemoral ligament?!
Question: Medial patellofemoral ligament?
I'm mainly wondering more about the recovery process, but really anything would be useful. If you could please include the websites where you found the information, that would be very greatly appreciated so I can look into it even further. Thank you in advance!
Answers:
Did you have a MPFL reconstruction to fix patella instability!? If so, I'm in the same boat! I had a TTT (realigning the bone), MPFL reconstruction, and a lateral release nearly 6 weeks ago.
I agree there isn't much out there about it. Your orthopedic surgeon and physical therapist are probably the best sources for information. My PT told me, however, there are some physical therapists he knows who have never even heard of the MPFL!
There is also a site out there called kneeguru that is great for information and reading about other people's post-op progress.
The medial patellofemoral ligament attaches to your kneecap and femur on the medial (towards the midline of the body) side of your knee. When they reconstruct it, they replace it with either a cadaver, your hamstring, or some other graft and screws hold it in place. Mine are plastic screws.
What has your recovery been like so far? Surgeon's protocols all vary. Right now, I am in a hinged leg brace and still on crutches. However, mind you, I also had a bone in my leg broke, realigned, and screwed back together with 3 metal screws. I am bearing weight on my leg with the crutches. I started physical therapy two days after surgery. I'm working on hip/quad strengthening, range of motion a little bit (my surgeon allowed me to bend up to 30* for the first 3 weeks, then increase 15* a week...I'm a little behind), and gait training.
Here's a tiny blurb about the ligament itself
http://www.kneeguru.co.uk/KNEEnotes/medi…
I would say recovery is at least 4-6 months. You need sufficient healing and protection of the graft, full range of motion, no atrophy of the muscles, good balance, no tenderness, and be able to do some functional tests before returning to sports.
Good Luck!