2nd MRI Update

The second MRI was done last Friday and I met with the orthopedic surgeon today to review the results. No new results came out of this one. It did confirm the cartiledge damage on the underside of the kneecap which I already knew about. There's a small piece of cartiledge that is torn and is rubbing against the femur, causing some grinding and clicking but it's not painful at all right now. There was no explanation of why the outside of the knee has been locking up, although that has lessened a lot lately, so maybe it was just something that got a little irritated.

Basically, my knee will never be "normal" again - I'll always have some clicking and grinding, even if I were to have surgery, since the surgery would remove the damaged cartiledge but would leave a hole in the cartiledge, not a normal surface. So, surgery isn't a good option there unless it becomes too uncomfortable for me. Right now, it's definitely not that bad.

So, it's back to plan A, which is keep rehabbing, hoping to strengthen the surrounding muscles enough to buttress the kneecap and resist another dislocation. Day-to-day, I'm already able to do most things I want to do, so it's now about strengthening the knee for athletics. I suppose this is good news, although I do feel a little helpless about not knowing the cause of the lockups. Hopefully, those will go away with more rehab.

In daily activity, the knee actually feels pretty good. I did a lot of heavy yard work on the rocky hillside in the back yard this weekend with no problems, and I am definitely feeling more secure on it these days. So, progress, slow and steady. That's all for now!