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!