Has anyone ever had to have their bones that meet at the knee realigned???? I'm 16 and my femer (the upper leg bone) turns in and the tibia (the lower leg bone) turns out. It causes a lot of pain in both knees and I have had to greatly reduce my walking. My othopedic surgeon says I need surgery on both knees. I have never gone through a surgery and am wondering what I should expect. I really don't want to lose my ability to walk and worry that I might.

Becca

Becca-
In Aug. 2003 I had my left leg entirely re-aligned. It consisted of a surgery which turned my femur outward, my tibia and fibula turned in and the arch in my foot re-built. I chose to have a short leg cast (goes below the knee to the toes) tho most surgeons opt for a long-leg cast...(roughly below belly button to toes). The biggest challenge for me was learning how to transfer as I was not allowed to weight bear on my left side for around 4 weeks. In terms of pain, I was given an epidural which worked pretty well for me. It allowed me to get thru the first 3 or 4 days after surgery with minimal pain. After the removal of the epidural, I took oral pain meds as needed. I stayed at the hospital for a little less than a week. I had hardware (plates and screws) removed a little less than a year later. This is normal following the re-alignment surgery and only required a few hours stay at the hospital. Sorry for babbling so much but I hope it helps...feel free to ask more questions if you want.
Erica