Question - Lateral Release (patellar condroplasty)

by Jerry
(New York)

I am having a lateral release next month and have to have the bone behind my knee smoothed out due to multiple chipping. How bad is the recovery and me being a police officer will i ever be able to resume work fully?

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Question - Lateral Release (patellar condroplasty)

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Jul 28, 2008
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Maybe just a little slower than without the patella work
by: Bart - SII

A lateral release is generally a 3-4 month full recovery - a lot depends on what condition you were in prior to surgery, how much swelling you have, the quality of the rehab, and a few other factors.

Swelling is usually the biggest problem after a lateral release - this procedure swells a ton - and that slows everything down. Lots of compression, ice, and elevation will help with this, especially during the first few days and week.

The smoothing of the patella (patellar chondroplasty) can add a little time onto the recovery depending on how bad the cartilage degeneration is. If there is significant degeneration, it could cause some continued pain. You may have trouble kneeling on your knee for quite some time, but other than that, in a fairly well conditioned person, the recovery is usually pretty good, being able to return to full activities. That has been my experience with patients who have this procedure.

Do make sure that your rehab focuses on improving hip and core strength, not just the quadriceps and VMO. This is vital for a full recovery.

Hope this helps - comment back with other questions.