r/Orthopedics

genuinely asking because every doctor profile sounds identical at this point. ive been comparing qualifications, reviews on doctify, reddit threads, everything, and somehow feel even more confused. what actually matters when picking an orthopaedic doctor?

Hello!
I am a 21 yo woman, and last year I got diagnosed with bilateral trochlear dysplasia type C and patella alta (I also have flat feet). My ortho said it is most likely genetic, and ever since, I have been terrified of working out.
You see, I got this diagnosis after feeling pain in both my knees for about 3 months after a gym session. I was working out the same as I had for months, but suddenly I felt a sharp pain in the outer part of my left knee; the pain in the right one followed soon after, and it got worse with time (some days I had immense pain even walking). When I got the diagnosis, I got an enormous sense of anxiety instead of relief. Basically, I got told that there is not much I can do apart from being careful, and surgery was not really advised, as the tedious recovery process would not be worth it for the benefits.

So I stopped working out altogether.

However, even before getting diagnosed, I had wanted SO BAD to learn how to run. I really enjoy the feeling of moving my body, especially in the outdoors, but I am absolutely terrified of damaging my knees. And mentally, I also feel the need to move in some sort of way, and running seems to be the most accessible to me (I am a student and don't have the financial means to hire a personal trainer for the gym, for example)

I would like to know if anyone has found themselves in this position, and if so, if they have any tips to share. I would massively appreciate it<3

I had my fusion surgery 3 years ago. My foot still hurts a lot and I am wondering if it is the screws. I was told to keep the screws in. I don't have a plate, just the 3 screws. The top of my foot is always in pain and I also have nerve pain.

I’m five weeks into recovery from a distal radius fracture of my right (dominant) wrist. No joint involvement, and minor displacement only. They gave me a choice of surgery or not, and I chose to treat it non-surgically.

I will be in a cast for another week, then a brace for 3-4 weeks. I’ve chosen not to drive so far because my right hand still doesn’t function well (poor ROM), and I don’t feel comfortable driving with just my left hand. It would be fine if all goes smoothly, but I worry that if I need to swerve or otherwise make an abrupt motion, I could get in an accident. And I don’t want any more broken bones, thank you!

I’m wondering when others started driving, and what it was like for you.

9 days post ORIF on my left ankle. Literally living a nightmare. (Long read, sorry)

For context, I am no stranger to immense pain. I’ve made it through a complete knee blow out, first surgery was ACL cadaver graft and meniscus repair, second was meniscus removal with approx 40 % remaining, third I went in for a scope for bone chip removal and woke up to a second ACL cadaver graft.Lastly I had a total knee replacement. All of this transpired from a slip in my stupid ex’s vomit. Yeah I know, cool story. Needless to say, I’ve had some major exposure to intense pain. I digress 😩

On 4/19, I tripped and fell somehow resulting in a distal fibula fracture and syndesmotic tear on both sides of my ankle (my GOOD leg unfortunately).
04/20 I was in the orthopedic surgeon’s office at 8:30a, incredibly thankful he had standing appts for those who went to a specific ER. Here’s where shit goes downhill. Initially he told me it would heal without surgery. Then he looked at my images again and expressed concern about the alignment of leg bones and top of the foot. He told me to go home, keep it elevated,NWB, and we would reassess in a week when swelling went down. Before walking out he basically said to prepare to have surgery the following week, awesome news right? 👎🏼
04/29 Follow up, NWB X-rays, definitely required surgical intervention. Scheduled surgery for the next day. Unfortunately, the surgery center over booked and I got bumped off the schedule.
3/7 Surgery day-nerve blocks, general anesthesia, ORIF and according to surgical notes, syndesmotic repair was deemed unnecessary.

If you’re still with me, I’m getting to the point, I promise.
So the nerve block lasted way longer than expected. That was awesome..
Around day 3, I was hurting but nothing some pain meds wouldn’t knock down.
Day 4 my foot started tingling, annoying but again I’m wearing the giant post op splint/dressing so I figured it was just swollen and maybe the wrap was a little too tight. I woke up probably 2 hours after going to bed in excruciating pain, but it was no where near the incision.
My foot had the feeling of pins and needles and it felt like something was stabbing the outside of my foot closer to the heal, RELENTLESS pain that I can’t describe with words. A lot of tears and no sleep, I was on the phone with the surgeons office as soon as they would answer the phone. Asked for help, asked if I could take ibuprofen, that was a no, they prescribed another NSAID, kinda brushed me off honestly.
By day 7, I hadn’t slept more than 2 hours at a time, the pain was progressively getting worse. I was desperate for relief. Called again, instructed to come in and have it checked out.
At my appt, with tears pouring down my face, they said my wrap was probably just too tight. They cut it off and lifted my leg out and asked if I had relief. I did not have any relief. My heel was sensitive to touch, checks for skin breakdown, all good, incision healing well, STABBING PAIN continues. Re-wraps my leg and says hmmmm, can’t give you more pain meds, let’s try Lyrica. Nerve pain meds…when I asked the possibility for nerve damage, I was brushed off again.
Here I am on day 9/10 up at 3:16 am, writhing in pain, the stabbing pain has moved to the inside of my foot closer to the ankle and I am taking the meds every 6 hours because as soon as it wears off I am dying. It helps a little, but the pain comes back ten fold when the meds wear off. My entire foot is still buzzing, vibrating, ALL the time and the stabbing sensation is almost unbearable.

Has anyone experienced this? Please HELP! I am hurting so badly and I cannot sleep. Next follow up is Monday, tomorrow now technically, to remove sutures and put on cast. I am terrified there is something really bad going on

Our 5 month old Great Pyrenees (male, 25 lbs) was hit by a car Friday. Took him to our vet, who said he had a broken leg and hip. He put our dog in a leg splint and referred us to a surgeon.
The surgeon said he couldn’t fit us in his schedule in time. We are now exploring other options and waiting to hear back from who other surgeons.
I don’t have the option to add a photo of x ray.

I want to know that if a pin and plate was needed, how long can you wait before surgery? I know puppy bones heal quickly and I don’t want it to heal wrong. Is scheduling a surgery next week too long? Any advice welcome

I (26 f) had two kneecap dislocations in my late teens. The first dislocation happened when I was 17. I was going down a ladder and my left foot was twisted when I stepped on the floor and it suddenly dislocated. The pain was excruciating and they had to take me to the ER to move it back in place. I got lucky during the first dislocation and I didn’t get any cartridge damage from it.

The second dislocation happened when I was 18 and I wasn’t as fortunate . I was at a Zumba class when it happened. We were moving side to side very fast and my legs were moving laterally. My left knee suddenly dislocated and the pain was so excruciating that I screamed and cried the whole time I was being transported to the ER. The second dislocation was more severe.

The ER doctor told me that part of my kneecap was ripped off but it’s not serious and I can recover. He said that it would become a problem if I get more dislocations over the years and that’s when it turns into a problem. They did an X-ray. I don’t know the full extent of the damage.

My left leg was swollen for a few weeks and it took me a month to recover. I was considering surgery to strengthen my ligaments. I seen a specialist and he told me that I have mild knock knees and he doesn’t recommend surgery because my ligaments would go back to baseline because of my anatomy.

I’m now 26 and I haven’t had a third dislocation but I’m noticing weird feelings in my knees all of these years later. I was on a 10 hour flight recently and my left knee was aching and sore the whole time but my right knee was fine. It made a clicking noise after the flight whenever I walked. Both of my knees, even the dislocation free knee makes a clicking noise when i walk up a flight of stairs.

My left knee can’t handle weight loading very well and tires out easily compared to my right knee. I go to yoga regularly and my left knee is less tolerant than my right. Is this normal after my past? Am I developing arthritis? Could I be at risk of a third dislocation? I love yoga and I really don’t want to quit it.