Return to mounatin biking after chrodroplasty of the patella and femoral trochlear groove

by Sheila
(Colorado)

Thank You for this opportunity, and I hope you can help.

I had some surgery on my right knee and right ankle 3 weeks ago. Synovectomy including resection of the entire suprapatellar wall, medial synovial plica shelf and infrapatellar plica band. Also on the knee I had the chrodoplasty done of the patella and femoral trochlear groove.

On my ankle I had extensive debridement including chrondroplasty and synovectomy. I will need after a year, a cadaver bone and cartilage graft on the medial margin, talar dome about, the size of a nickel. (Sorry about all this technical quibble, I am not well studied in this area and am copying from the operative notes)

My question regards what it means to have 'chodromalacia grade 3' and also about returning to my pretty aggressive mountain trails biking. (just to let you know my ankle feels so mush better after the surgery even though it catches)

It seems my surgery is very common and not as serious as others in my town and I am really feeling stupid about asking about getting back to being who I was.I am not able to get the real info about my long term potential from the PT people or surgeon.

Leading up to this surgery I had cut back considerably on my sports especially in distance and uphill climbing on my bike believing that all would be extremely well(dumb?) after I could have surgery. I/we had no idea what the problem was with my knee was and the surgeons kind of went in blind since I was having surgery on my ankle already and had a MRI of my ankle 'pre-viewing' what was the cause of pain in my ankle.

So, after the surgery I didn't get the full picture of what was done on my knee till yesterday, 3 weeks later. I really thought I would be up and going after 7 to 10 days and it is so not true.

I guess the surgeons thought the same to. Of course now I am told 2 - 3months. I was also dismayed by reading online about problems with the grade 3 chondromalacia and adjusting my lifestyle to other sports not as punishing as to live without chronic pain. And that patellaectomy is a long term recourse. Is this true??? It can't be!!

Yea I am definitely swollen and stiff and have pain and this has been a slow process to heal these last 3 weeks(totally unexpected by me), but is 'grade 3 chondromalacia' that serious short and longterm speaking?

I know I have gone on and on for a simple question but can you give me any input, PLEASE. Thank you,
Sheila