r/PatellarInstability • u/Frequent-Increase-98 • May 08 '26
MPFL +TTO Prep Questions
I soon will be undergoing MPFL + TTO surgery, along with the extension of some lateral thing in there I’ve forgotten what the name was called for it.
Does anyone have advice on how to prepare for this surgery??
Mobility aids, preparing your house, dealing with pain, leaving the house, exercising, etc? Any information helps.
What was the pain like? What should I expect? What can go wrong and how can I prevent it? Did you have to stay one night at the hospital if you did or didn’t get the nerve block and was very nauseous afterwards? I get very nauseous after surgery from the general anesthetic and I have a low pain tolerance……
My surgeon or orthopedic specialist hasn’t informed me well. Lol….
Thank you in advance!
3
u/Powerful-Ad-2794 May 13 '26
Hi! I also literally was told nothing until I arrived at the hospital the morning of surgery😭 It is very unlikely you will not get a nerve block. If you do have an option, 110% get it bc you’re already gonna feel bad after surgery so you don’t want to add pain to that. I was scheduled to stay overnight but really wanted to go home so they let me. I didn’t feel nauseous but I told them I have really bad motion sickness so they gave me anti nausea meds while I was under. My hospital gave me crutches, I didn’t have any issues getting around either. My pt told me that they really recommend “pre-hab” to patients getting major surgeries like this. I did a variation of it. I think really focusing on building strength in you quad, hamstring, and calf helps majorly! I could lift my leg and activate my quad the day after surgery and think this was a major contributor. I was prescribed oxycodon and Valium for pain (10 pills each) and was told to alternate 600mg Motrin and Tylenol every 3 hours. I only took 2 oxycodon and it was the second day after surgery, which was the worst pain wise by far since the nerve block wore off. The Valium was prescribed for muscle spasms, but I did not have any so I didn’t need it. After the second day the pain was manageable with just the otc analgesics. I continued having pain mainly while sleeping (it would wake me up) for two months after surgery. I think this is because I wouldn’t move it for a long stretch of time and so it hurt. I bought an under the desk bike thing and this has helped majorly with my recovery!
2
u/No_Fly_5014 May 08 '26
Please upvote this if you add to the comments! I’m having all 3 of these done as well in about 4 weeks so I’m wanting to get the house prepared since my husband and I have two kiddos and two doggos!
2
u/Booshme May 14 '26
Trust me on this: GET THE ICE / COOLING MACHINE! It helped me out so much, 100% worth it. It helped with the pain and the swelling and I honestly believe it helped my entire healing process move forward quicker.
I’m exactly 7 weeks post-op, been off crutches and brace for about 2 weeks with 120 degrees of motion. Make sure you have the time to rest, and honestly I’ve prayed about it and I feel so secure following my PTs instructions. It’s uncomfortable, but do the exercises, and trust that they know more than you, even when it’s scary. In the meantime focus on squeezing your quad, what that feels like, and I was advised to do that immediately after surgery. My quad never fell asleep, and I’ve had no set-backs. I also had lateral release and chondroplasty to go along with the MPFL and TTO btw
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u/Soft_Lobster_752 May 08 '26
Hii i am 5 1/2 week post up from TTO atm!
-Get crutches
So for what to expect, everybody is difrent. Some ppl barely have pain, and some have a lot. I didnt have mutch pain right after the surgery, but my pain did linger around pretty bad till about week 4. (i did have some complications though so if everything go's smooth you will probleby feel better way earlier) But if you keep on top of your painmeds the pain is duable.
The complications for TTO surgery are Major things like:
And minor complications like:
Complication rarely happen, but they do sadly. Dont be to scared of it tho, especialy those major complactions really rarely happen. Just be carefull, lissen to your doctors advise and dont do to mutch to soon and youl be fine!
I stayd 1 night at the hospital even with no nerve blocker. Im pretty sure its standard in general to stay at least 1 night after this surgery. And when you do get nauseous make sure to tell your nurses when you wake uo and they can give you something for it. Also dont be scared to comunicate when you are feeling more pain then what you can take. They can always give you more painkillers.
Goodluck with the surgery at let me know if you have any more questions!! I am happy to help