Dislocation of the kneecap - A common injury
The kneecap
The knee is one of the most important joints in the human body. It supports our weight and allows us to walk, run, jump and ultimately move effectively, but for this very reason is one of the joints that suffer most and with greater risk of injury to our body.
The kneecap or patella is a small bone covered with cartilage and triangular shape, which is located in the front of the knee and over which are inserted the tendon of the quadriceps and the patellar ligament, which joins it to the tibia. This makes it a fundamental part of the joint's extensor mechanism.
Dislocation of the kneecap
A large number of people, both athletes and non-athletes, suffer sometime in their lives some kind of knee injury, especially of the kneecap that by its situation and function can be affected by both genetic and external factors. Among the most common injuries to the kneecap, dislocation is, along with chondromalacia patella, one of the most common and in this article we will discover what can cause this injury and how it is treated from a physiotherapeutic point of view.
This may be due to trauma or hyperlaxity of the tendon of the quadriceps, the patellar ligament and especially the patellofemoral tendon, which exerts 79% of the force necessary to keep the kneecap in place, contributing to recurrent dislocation. Sometimes it may be accompanied by some type of bone fracture.
When the kneecap is dislocated from the front of the knee, the joint loses stability and this causes the person to fall to the floor, feel a very intense pain and can not bend the knee, appreciating with the naked eye its displacement, as the knee seems deformed. When it occurs because of direct trauma, it is normal that all the elements that hold it, including the articular capsule, have been broken, so that a hermatrosis (inflammation due to internal bleeding) is produced.
Treatment
The type of kneecap treatment will depend on the cause and the extent to which the different structures of the knee have been affected. In either case, the first step is to reduce dislocation by returning the kneecap to its normal location, soothe pain, and immobilize the joint.
If the cause is hyperlaxity and there is no damage to other parts of the knee, the most common is to immobilize it for a while with a splint, use crutches for the first few days to avoid putting weight on the joint, apply cold to reduce inflammation and then perform physical therapy to strengthen the muscles to prevent further episodes. Sometimes, in the face of very repetitive dislocations, surgical treatment may be recommended, although it is always possible to use an orthosis (splint that allows the normal movement of the knee) to maintain the stability of the joint while practicing any type of sport.
In either case, rehabilitation will ultimately be crucial to regaining knee stability and knee strength. Full recovery of kneecap dislocation will occur in six to eight weeks if it has been caused by hyperlaxitude or three to six months if it is traumatic in origin.
Dr. Leopoldo Maizo - Orthopedic Surgeon
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This is something very horrible, my brother happened to him and he was bedridden for 4 months, but the tendons stretched and it was very horrible and painful, it is something very ugly