The Backstory

In this blog I will chronical my experience having the ACI procedure along with a high tibial osteonomy.

This surgery is my last hope for some sort of normal knee function, as i have gotten older my knee has progressively gotten worse. This will be the fourth knee surgery I have had on the same issue. The first being in the summer of 1996 following my senior year in High School. The second was in Dec of 2003 following a minor cartlidge tear. During that sugery they found a major articular cartlidge defect. We went through a variety of programs, injections, and solutions to lessen the pain in the knee but due to the size of the defect and the location I would never be pain free without a largely invasive surgery.

I was referred to Dr Flannigan from Dr. Kaeding due to Dr Flannigan's familiarity with the ACI Procedure. On November 21st I had the first of two surgery's for the ACI procedure. The first part was a minimally invasive orthoscope where the Dr took two pencil eraser sized biopsies of my cartlidge and sent them to a company called Carticel where they would grow new cells.

This leads me to where I am today laying in a hospital bed recovering from the full ACI procedure and a high tibial osteomomy (realignment of the knee joint) I will begin with updates tomorrow. As the pain meds are kicking in typing is becoming increasingly more difficult.