Hello. I have an upcoming surgery scheduled for my ankle and I was hoping someone who has had the surgery can give me some insight in to any possible effects on donor site knee.
My Dr. assures me there will be no short-term or long-term complications, but I want to make sure that by fixing my ankle I am setting myself up for knee problems later (i.e. lack of cartilage in my knee).
I am a very active athlete so I don't want to trade one problem for another.
I had my OATS done in Aug 08 and while I am still having problems with my ankle, my knee feels fine.
My OS said that where the plugs are taken from is from a non weight bearing part of the knee and whatever scar tissue that grows in place of what was taken should be fine.
I also didn't have ANY pain whatsoever from day one in the hospital to now - yes, maybe a little stiffness for the first few months which got better over time, but never any pain.
Good luck, I know this is a daunting surgery, but hopefully it will be your last and you'll soon be back to your active self, but painfree!
I had my OATS back in Sept. '08 and I also have no knee problems. It was sore at first and stiff for the first week, but I forget that I even had anything taken from my knee.
I know exactly what you are talking about it- about not wanting to trade one problem of the other.
I am 8 days out of my Oats- knee to ankle surgery. One thing I was not prepared for was the amount of pain that you are in post op. My ankle didn't hurt, just my knee. My knee continues to ache to this 8 days out. I am hoping that it will feel better as the days continue. However, ankle feels fine. Best of luck to you.
I shared the same anxiety and fear about the knee. Unfortunately for me, I had knee problems following OATS while I had no pain in the ankle. I had longed to hike again, but the two plugs removed from my knee prevented me from hiking because of the pain. I was in PT at six weeks post-op and we worked on both the ankle and knee. At six months, I had to have a lateral release in the knee to take pressure off the knee cap. That arthroscopic procedure brought me much relief for three years. Unfortunately I now have knee problems. I can no longer do squats or any knee bending exercises. It could be that I have a genetic predisposition for this problem. Many on this Board and in my surgeons' practice did not experience any knee problems following OATS. I think it is an individual thing. Good luck to you! You may not have any problems at all!
I had the OATS procedure (knee to ankle) in March '09. I had pain in my knee and stiffness after surgery but it went away after a couple of months. My knee would also crackle when I would bend it at first, but that also went away. It took a good six months for my knee to feel pretty normal. I can't say I have any major problems with it now. I do squats and it feels fine...one in a while it feels as though my knee cap gets stuck if I've been sitting for a while, but it's nothing major....good luck!
