Follow-Up with Dr. Anderson

This morning was my 6-week follow up appointment with Dr. Lesley Anderson. It's been 7 weeks since my surgery and 6 weeks since I had my stitches out. After "hello," the first thing Dr. A said to me was, "Did it help?" I told her "yes," that I thought the surgery had helped. I said I am still experiencing some swelling, but she said that is to be expected.

Dr. Anderson was unusually chatty this morning, which was nice. She told me her daughter is getting ready to apply to medical school and that she hopes to go back East for her studies. Dr. A went to school at Hershey Medical School at Penn State and feels the medical schools on the East Coast are the best places to study. While she was telling me this she was doing her usual tests on my knee. She said my range of motion is great and the popping and cracking I feel is definitely scar tissue. It will soften up in time as I get more active. Dr. A told me she was a little worried about removing some of my fat pad because sometimes it can leave scaring that ends up being worse than the problem was before surgery. I explained that my knee feels better and the "knot" of discomfort I was experiencing is gone. She seemed pleased to hear that. She showed me the photos of the inside of my knee again and told me the way my fat pad was protruding was unusual. It was tough and was sticking out at an odd angle where it was likely getting caught between the bones. She also mentioned that the fraying cartilage on the underside of my kneecap was normal. This is common in runners and with age in general and typically is not painful at all. She felt my problem was from the fat pad and everything else inside my knee looks healthy.

As further guidance, she told me to massage my incisions to break down the scar tissue inside. If the hardened tissue does not soften up, she said she could inject some cortisone and that would help. Otherwise, she said to keep going to physical therapy and following their lead. If my knee is still swelling and bothering me in a few months, she said to come in for another follow-up appointment. The last thing Dr. Anderson said was that she thinks I'm going to be fine. I'm thin and healthy so she does not see that I will have bigger knee problems in the future. I simply need to manage my training and know when I am doing too much. I left her office early this morning feeling positive and optimistic. It's a great thing!