Thursday, 12th August had his fifth operation: Tibial Tuberosity Advancement: This helps to stop the instability when Xander is walking on the leg. The goal is to transfer the load of the joint from the patellar ligament to the quadriceps muscle. To achieve this, the surgeon makes a cut into the tibial tuberosity (bone). The tibial tuberosity is advanced into a position perpendicular to the tibial plateau, thus removing the load from the ruptured cruciate ligament. To keep this newly positioned tibial tuberosity in place, a titanium implant is secured to the bone, and a spacer and bone graft material is placed into the cleft between the bones. This helps stabilize the joint.
We were able to bring him home Monday, 16th August. He has a third incision (15cm) by the first two with 25 surgical staples. Xander will require an additional 9 weeks of house confinement after surgery.