arthroscopy/arthroplasty

[gator1301]

I am a 16 year old planning to have TMJ arthroscopy done in about 1 week. At this time my jaw is locked and the disk is displaced anteriorly. My oral surgeon is not sure if the disk is torn or not. He is going to start with arthroscopy to reposition the disk, but if it is unrepairable, he will have to do the open surgery to remove it.

For those with experience with this surgery, can you please give me an idea what to expect post-op. It's an outpatient procedure, and I'm supposed to leave the hospital 2-3 hours after the procedure. How much pain can I expect for both of these procedures? What about swelling and bruising. How long will I be on pain meds? Is physical therapy hard afterwards?

Thanks
Crystal

[Allen]

Hey Gator: back in '98 I had arthroscopic surgery on my rt jaw joint. Aside from the removal of a few adhesions, it was not too helpful, since(as it turned out)my problems were with the muscles(myalgia)and not the jaw joint. Post-op was not difficult, but I wonder: did you get a 2nd or even 3rd opinion? Only in a small per centage of cases will surgery help and often it has made matters much worse. God bless, Al

[gator1301]

Yes Al, this is my 3rd opinion. The latest doctor was highly recommended to us and is in Birmingham. He is very experienced, doing 20-25 arthroscopic procedures a week. He told me that surgery is a must at this point. I have failed to respond to arthrocentesis, splint therapy, anti-inflammatories, heat therapy, and physical therapy. My problem is purely disk related and not at all a muscle problem. I can only open to 20 mm, and if the problem is left the way it is the joint will be ripped apart.

Crystal

[Carey]

Hi Crystal,

I am just about in the exact same position as you. I am 21 and have had tmj for over 2 years. i have been locked shut for the past 3 months (with an opening of one centimetre)after an arthrocentesis made it worse. I too have failed all conservative treatments and it is looking like surgery for me also at this point. I have been to 3 oral surgeons for their opinions and they recommend to remove the disc totally because just repairing it is just about guaranteed to fail, requiring more surgeries.

I haven't decided to go ahead with surgery yet because of the risks involved, such as degeneration of the joint in the future, etc.

Sorry if this sounds so dreary, but i don't want you to rush into surgery and regret it in the long run.

keep smiling,
Carey



[This message has been edited by moderator1 (edited 08-06-2002).]

[gator1301]

Carey,

Unfortunately, I don't have a choice of whether or not to do this surgery. The oral surgeon said that if I don't do it, my joint will continue to worsen. I can no longer tolerate the pain.

As for the risk factors, my doctor reassured me that the odds are slim for nerve damage. In his career he has done 2900 of the arthroscopic and open procedures. Of all of those he has only had 7 temporary nerve paralysis. He has yet to see a permanent nerve paralysis.

My surgery is scheduled for a week from tomorrow. I'm looking forward to the relief.

Crystal