Patient Experiences

No Knee Pain Three Years After Cartilage Transplant Surgery

Hi, my name is John, and before I had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Cole and his team, I had five knee operations within a 20-year period. During those procedures the doctors would remove bone fragments that were causing my knee to lock up and drill small holes to increase the blood flow. Due to the loss of bone in my left knee, there was no other option except a partial knee replacement or osteochondral allograft of medial femoral condyle and HTO. So, because of my young age, and the fact that my knee would give out about five to ten times a day, and I was always in pain, I chose option two.

After waiting a short period of time, I got the call--the doctor had received a bone. I went in for the procedure knowing recovery would take a while. After I got home, I had a great support team in place: my parents and a wonderful girlfriend, who is now my beautiful wife. The pain was rough for about two or three weeks, but became more manageable as the weeks progressed. The day following surgery, I started the cmm machine and the ice machine (a life saver if you ask me)! The next day I was on both machines as often as I could. The cmm machine was tough for about three days following surgery, then it actually started to feel good. I started physical therapy about a week later. It was a tough schedule to keep, but I truly believe it is why I got 100% mobility back. When I left therapy I could bend my left knee one degree farther than my right! Truly a miracle. It took about three months before I was able to return to work and stand for a full eight-hour day.

Though the pain was unbearable at times, it was truly worth it. I now function with no knee pain–something I never thought would be possible in my lifetime.

I believe a good portion of my success was due to great support from family and friends, following the doctor’s orders to the letter, and keeping a positive attitude no matter how far the light was from the end of the tunnel. But most of all, keeping a positive attitude was the key!

I hope and pray you have the same outcome.

    — John