There are roughly three types of sports doctors. 1. specialist qualified - full specialist training in SPORTS MEDICINE, 2. GP with post grad qualification in sports medicine 3. GP without qualification but alot of interest or experience in the field. If you have got PFPS you probably cant get ACC as its not an accident so sports specialist could be quite pricey -but if yr insured wont matter too much . An orthopaedic surgeon probably entirely un-necessary. I would go for someone with some training and experience in catagory 2 or 1. Sorry if I sounded short - I wasn't at all concerned - hell I get questioned constantly. I do however get frustrated when people don't get the help they need especially if its because of failure to get to the person with the right knowledge and skill set. If you want to recommendation of where to go just PM me. good luck

I went to a SPORTs doc (Pure Sports Medicine) and he referred me to an ortho surgeon who was not a sports specialist and provided zero help - other than to tell me his wife jogged throughout her pregnancy. Real helpful. Not.

Barbsarama wrote:I went to a SPORTs doc (Pure Sports Medicine) and he referred me to an ortho surgeon who was not a sports specialist and provided zero help - other than to tell me his wife jogged throughout her pregnancy. Real helpful. Not.

sounds very unfortunate barbs - I'm guessing that, from your description of referral and surgery etc though that you don't/didn't have what I understand to be PFPS (which there is no way you'd do a chondroplasty for. Pretty much by definition if ya needed an operation than it isn't. However if you had patelofemoral pain from cartilage degeneration or chondromalacia you might have a go at fixing it like that I would guess . . .)

But speculation is the mother of all balls ups in medical opinion so i should shut my gob. . . . .

Im thinkin though that all this supports the idea that if lloydy does have true PFPS then a surgeon is not really the place to be . . . but that if its something else a sports doc would refer as needed . . . (i'd hope)

I reckon this is a pretty good article for lloydy - written by a guy who sound equivilant to a Nz GP with a sports medicine post grad qualification.

http://www.aafp.org/afp/991101ap/2012.html

bubbaa wrote:But speculation is the mother of all balls ups in medical opinion so i should shut my gob. . . . .

please speculate away! I want something to hold on to as no one i've been to so far has been able to help me! the sports doc i went to see before referring me to the orth surgeon said that it was PFS and that there was nothing i could do - just live with the pain and take anti-flams for the rest of my life... i'd gladly hear your speculation.
i'd put fried eggs on my knees if i thought it could help - or compression pants (ha!)

reading the article, i can see why sports doc thought it was pfs - i also have extremely flat feet for which i've had very expensive carbon fibre insoles made for - which i no longer use... but i'm not knock-kneed.

I suspect when i do see the surgeon in June (go free healthcare) i will be told there's nothing they can do now, wait a few years and they'll replace the knees. so i'm kinda resigned to that now.

(sorry for the hijack llordy!)

Barbsarama wrote:

bubbaa wrote:But speculation is the mother of all balls ups in medical opinion so i should shut my gob. . . . .

please speculate away! I want something to hold on to as no one i've been to so far has been able to help me! the sports doc i went to see before referring me to the orth surgeon said that it was PFS and that there was nothing i could do - just live with the pain and take anti-flams for the rest of my life... i'd gladly hear your speculation.
i'd put fried eggs on my knees if i thought it could help - or compression pants (ha!)

reading the article, i can see why sports doc thought it was pfs - i also have extremely flat feet for which i've had very expensive carbon fibre insoles made for - which i no longer use... but i'm not knock-kneed.

I suspect when i do see the surgeon in June (go free healthcare) i will be told there's nothing they can do now, wait a few years and they'll replace the knees. so i'm kinda resigned to that now.

(sorry for the hijack llordy!)

fried eggs IN compression pants is the way to go
I shouldn't form opinions on people and joints ive never seen - are you in NZ - can I direct you to a quality sports doc ??

I am in NZ, Wellington to be exact. I had a sports doc recommended to me from one of the physios I was seeing after my ops in the UK who is in Wellington and that's who I went to see, but he just referred me to an ortho surgeon and a podiatrist, neither of who did much to help...
I just see me bouncing from public health care doc to another one with them all telling me to suck it and see until they eventually replace my knees. Meh. I'm so used to the pain and swelling now, it's just annoying mostly cause I can't go for runs or long walks. But, meh. I can still ride a bike and it gives me an excuse not to do any burn-offs from the lights or too many hills ha!

Barbsarama wrote:I am in NZ, Wellington to be exact. I had a sports doc recommended to me from one of the physios I was seeing after my ops in the UK who is in Wellington and that's who I went to see, but he just referred me to an ortho surgeon and a podiatrist, neither of who did much to help...
I just see me bouncing from public health care doc to another one with them all telling me to suck it and see until they eventually replace my knees. Meh. I'm so used to the pain and swelling now, it's just annoying mostly cause I can't go for runs or long walks. But, meh. I can still ride a bike and it gives me an excuse not to do any burn-offs from the lights or too many hills ha!

PM me if ya want further recommendations

Barbsarama wrote:I am in NZ, Wellington to be exact. I had a sports doc recommended to me from one of the physios I was seeing after my ops in the UK who is in Wellington and that's who I went to see, but he just referred me to an ortho surgeon and a podiatrist, neither of who did much to help...
I just see me bouncing from public health care doc to another one with them all telling me to suck it and see until they eventually replace my knees. Meh. I'm so used to the pain and swelling now, it's just annoying mostly cause I can't go for runs or long walks. But, meh. I can still ride a bike and it gives me an excuse not to do any burn-offs from the lights or too many hills ha!

PM me if ya want further recommendations/ideas

Have done, thanks

going off at a tangent, anyone using glucosamine should try deer velvet. seems to work a hell of a lot better.

casss wrote:going off at a tangent, anyone using glucosamine should try deer velvet. seems to work a hell of a lot better.

*cough* placebo!

cruiser wrote:

casss wrote:going off at a tangent, anyone using glucosamine should try deer velvet. seems to work a hell of a lot better.

*cough* placebo!

well, a "placebo" that "works" , ie - reduces the need for pain killers, is actually a very effective treatment.

it's also been shown to increase liver size with acute doses, hate to see what the long term effects are...
dollar for results these remedies are just a cash cow for the manufacturer. They see a slight effect of "deer velvet has been seen in some cases to increase capilliary formation in some people (not all)" and they think it's the next best thing. Funny thing is, antlers are the "masculine" display-piece of a deer, to me that sits it right besides asians eating tiger cock or rhino horn...

ok........... i'll retreat and be one of the 5%.
and continue using a my "rhino horn" instead of anti inflammatories and pain killers. at least deer are not an endangered species.
cheers.

I have not read the entire thread, but a few years back when I was doing mountain bike many stage races I started having a problem with ITB. This started out of no where - no new bike or setup. I also saw doctors physio etc. Eventually, on the advice of a fellow rider, I went to see someone about the setup of my bike. Turned out the entire setup was wrong, seat to high and too far back, stem to long, cleats in the wrong position etc.

I had the who setup adjusted and have not had a problem since.