Partial knee replacement - Patella
Hi all,
Looking for some advice, experiences, and hopefully a bit of perspective from anyone who has been through something similar.
I’m a 41-year-old male in the UK with isolated Grade 4 cartilage damage behind both patellae. It's bilateral, in both knees. There are some additional findings on MRI, but nothing considered clinically significant.
I underwent auto-cart cartilage repair surgery on my left knee 13 months ago, followed by a second procedure 7 months ago to shave down overgrowth. Unfortunately, I’m still really struggling with stiffness, inflammation, and reactivity in that knee. It constantly feels tight and irritated.
My original surgeon keeps telling me to focus on rehab, but I recently saw a second surgeon who feels that, due to the location of the defect (at the apex of the kneecap), the area is unlikely to heal successfully and that a partial patellofemoral replacement may ultimately be the better option.
These last 3 years have honestly been brutal. Between the pain, surgeries, setbacks, and endless rehab, life has changed massively. My hips have also started clicking, although I suspect that may just be snapping hip syndrome from altered mechanics rather than cartilage issues.
Given that:
- My right kneecap is confirmed Grade 4 bone-on-bone
- My left knee is still problematic despite cartilage repair
- I’m struggling with stiffness and inflammation daily
…what would you do in my situation?
Has anyone here had similar patellofemoral damage and gone on to have a successful outcome — either with rehab, cartilage procedures, or partial replacement?
Part of me feels a partial replacement could be the right long-term solution. My main hesitation is whether the stiffness/inflammation I’m experiencing on the left side could actually be related to fat pad irritation and scar tissue from having two surgeries within a year. I worry that a third major surgery could potentially make that even worse.
At the same time, if the inflammation would eventually settle and lead to a better long-term quality of life, I’d probably accept another difficult recovery.
Would really appreciate hearing any honest experiences or thoughts from people who’ve been through similar situations.
Thanks in advance.