A Game of Grid Iron

Hi Doug,

in a game of gridiron i was hit in the knee by a defender. The report from the MRI had a couple of things in it that the doctors didn't explain very well.

"The pattern of injury is very suggestive of lateral patellar dislocation/relocation. The configuration of the patellar and the corresponding shallow femoral sulcus are likely to be predisposing factors."

"A 6mm loose body is noted in the medial suprapatellar pouch. The donor site is likely to be from the patellar cartilage. Small effusion noted"

Two questions: is it likely that my other knee has the same "structure" (ie. shallow femoral sulcus) as the one that was examined by the MRI? and is the 6mm loose body a concern/how do I get rid of it?

Also, I've been told that I'm going to need a patello-femoral joint reconstruction. Is 5.5 months long enough for recovery before I get back to training camp?

Cheers,

Tim
**************************************************************************************************** Tim,

Yes, there's a good chance that your other knee will have the same or similar structure - shallow femoral sulcus. A loose body, in your case, is the chunk of cartilage broken off the under side of the patella. The only way to get rid of it is through surgery. The fragment may irritate your joint causing intermittent swelling and pain. In terms of recovery time, it's hard to say without seeing you and testing your leg. I know five and a half months seems like a long time but often, it is 9 months or more when there is a cartilage injury.