I am looking for help on behalf of my wife. She is a 47 year old nurse with a moderate to severe bowed right leg that until 6 months ago, when the pain became too much to bear, was a highly active hiker and distance walker. She has constant pain radiating up and down her leg and hip as a result of the classic misalignment of the knee joint and has been unable to enjoy walking since. She has had some minor arthroscopic ligament knee surgery in the past. Two local ortho docs in the DC metro area have reviewed her case and are recommending the tibial osteotomy (closing wedge) procedure to realign the knee. Both however could or would not predict that she could hike again. At this point she is highly frustrated and not sure where to turn. Chiropractic and even acupuncture treatment has provided some relief but only temporary to date. She also takes hyaluronic acid with fish oil supplements to lubricate the joint.

Our questions are:

1. Are there proven options to the highly invasive TO procedure and if so what are their success rates?

2. Who is THE BEST ortho doc to address this type of knee problem? Traveling to see him or her is not a problem.

3. For others out there who have had this procedure and like my wife are now or wish to be active (hiking, etc.) for many more years, what sound input or advice can you provide to help her make a very tough decision?

We would appreciate any advice those of you reading this could offer.

Thank you!

Jim
Northern Virginia