Fulkerson Osteotomy

Hi Everybody!

Happy Mother's Day, and Happy Morning-After-Pacquaio-Wins!!

I've gotten some good questions in my comments, so I'll answer a few basic ones over the next few days. First up:

What Kind of Surgery is this?

I'm getting a Fulkerson Osteotomy. The procedure involves the surgeon cutting a large incision over my knee. Then he saws off the top part of my tibia, where the knee cap attaches. He then moves this bone sideways/up and down until he gets the angle of the joint in its proper place. Once he's found the best angle, he screws down the bone with two screws, and I get a nice 6" long scar down my shin and no more bones rubbing together inside my joint!

Here's an x-ray of what it looks like:

~m.m.

The Reasoning

Hello friends,

There are a lot of you wondering why I need this surgery in the first place. Well, it's complicated.

Here's a brief history:

21 y.o. Female w/ hypermobility (super flexibility) and constant subluxation (dislocation and partial dislocation)

Formally active in sports - soccer, lacrosse, field hockey, crew.

Past Surgeries:
L Knee (Medial Reefing) 2006
R Knee (Lateral Release) 2008
R Knee (Fulkerson Osteotomy + Open Lateral Release) June 2010

My knees have been a constant source of torture because of malalignment and maltracking. This means that the angle of my knees is off, and when I bend the joint, the kneecap doesn't stay in its proper place.

 
Because of my hypermobility, surgical procedures involving soft tissue haven't been effective. Why? My tissues are already very flexible, so using my own tissue to keep my knee in place won't fix anything long term: the muscles will just flex and fail to hold.

 
The last surgery on my right knee was the best decision of my life: I can now walk without limping, drive without crying, etc.

Now my left knee has been slowly deteriorating as the Medial Reefing has started to fail.
It is now more painful than my recently repaired right knee, especially when I squat.
Dr. told me I would eventually need a Fulkerson Osteotomy on the left knee, and here I am!

TL;DR

I played too many sports with knees that don't work properly.

~m.m.

So, uh... about that...

I was thinking about how to organize my blog, because there are a lot of things I could focus on, and not all of it is on the specifics of my move from socal to norcal. In fact, I won't be moving until September!

I suppose the best course of action will be to hijack my own blog for a bit, and have a little "mini-series." 

It will be titled: "My Imminent Super Painful Invasive Knee Surgery" - or something to that effect.

Yes! In nineteen days I will be on the operating table while a surgeon slices open my knee and shin, then saws off my bone.

Details to come.

~m.m.