I had microfracture. It's a bullshit surgery that is more affective on couch potatoes than active folks. But it was the only surgery Blue Cross Blue Shield would cover on the first go. After the surgery I was told I'd never run again and after the 6 week period of no load on the knee it was worse than prior. My doctor had me at Andrews Sports Medicine within 4 days for a real surgery the moment he saw it. That surgery involved a high tibial osteotomy and an allograph of donor cartilage on my femur. I'm now running again and signed up for Ironman Maryland. I hope you don't have to go through what I did. I have details on my blog. The microfracture was November 2013, so you can search for those posts by date on the right of the screen on the blog. HTO was May 2014.

Good luck. I mean it.

Cheers,

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I had Microfracture done on my left knee back in 2008, I went to Kerlan and Jobe in LA great facility and I saw their best knee doctor at the time. He had to remove about a quarter size diameter from the top of the tibia, he did the best he could I feel, but up to then I had run 25 Ironman races, countless marathons and bunches of long distance triathlons starting back in 1982.

After the surgery I never ran more than 8 miles even then it would get very sore and stiff and I used to get the synvisc injections twice a year to help but I was never able to get my running back, I am able to bike without any issues and still did lots of 100 mile rides, I even tried a specially made brace called an unloader but that didn't work at all and in fact it caused a massive blood clot at the back of my knee in 2011 so don't get one of those braces. Now I just run 3 to 4 miles a few times a week and that seems to be the limit.

Good luck with the surgery not everyone heals the same you might do just fine as I am sure lots of folk have it done and it works but I never really grew the scabs to form the scare tissue to help prevent the bone on bone in the knee. Before the surgery though when the cartilage torn up from the tibia I could hardly walk far and certainly couldn't run down the block so I needed to have my knee worked on so no regrets I guess with the one choice I had at the time.

Best of luck, just take it easy after don't try to get back on it too quickly it has to heal up in there... Cheers LA Rob

December 11, 2013 I had mfx on a 1.1 x 1.2 cm full thickness defect on my left lateral trouclar groove. Weight bearing as tolerated on day one without a brace, on crutches for two weeks, one crutch for another week. Allowed in the pool at 4 weeks, and on the indoor bike trainer without resistance at 8 weeks, where I started a 6 week ramp up to an hour of riding at the low side of my endurance wattage. Started a return to running program at 14 weeks that was really just a slow walk/fast walk program for two weeks before I was allowed to actually jog. At 16 weeks I did 100 meters walk, 100 meters jog. The leg still feels weak and I ran about .3 miles total. Next run was .6 miles total and the third (yesterday) was 1 mile total. A bit sore the next day (today) but nothing that would be considered abnormal. The cycling has been coming along nicely the past 4 weeks, getting stronger each ride. My OS says that at my age (50 in September) it takes 6 months to regain full strength. So far all signs are showing a successful procedure. I have another doc appointment in 1 week, so hopefully more good news. My ultimate goals is to return to Oly distance races. And maybe a HIM now and then.

The post op mental challenge is that if you do any online research on the recovery protocol from mfx surgery, you'll find that it's all over the place. With some OS, your in the brace for 6 to 8 weeks, some (like my OS) your not at all. Some allow the return to cycling with full range of motion (which I had in less than 3 weeks) and some not until much later...etc, etc. I guess the key is to find an experienced doc and follow their rehab exactly. Its seems as if the most common error patients make is not following the post op instructions, in stressing the fibrocartilage patch before it has time to take hold and mature. (originally posted last year)

Now over two years post op I'm still running once or twice a week. Have done multiple Tri's up to the Oly distance.

Good luck and follow your recovery protocol exactly.

Microfracture in 2012 on my right knee. Full thickness defect. Right knee is great. Left knee now, not so much. :)

Two things:

1. In my research ahead of time microfracture is successful about 80% of the time. So you do the best you can to follow the best science based protocols that are out there, but you still have a chance of failure.
2. Find a PT you really trust. It's also going to take a long time, but you have a long time left.

At 9 months I was still run 10 minutes, walk 1. At a year I was just working up to distances ~12 miles, but knee was ok.
Sprint work (ultimate) was harder on it, and required breaks.

So, I'd do it again. Now I just need new cartilage in my left knee. :)

-Jot

Did you have micro-fracture and can you update on how things went?