Knee Care

The orthopedic surgeons at Great Lakes Orthopedics & Sports
Medicine, P. C. can evaluate your knee condition and provide the customized treatment plan to get you back to enjoying life!!

Unstable Kneecap

Knee Specialists In The Greater St. John, Crown Point and Lowell, Areas

The orthopedic surgeons at Great Lakes Orthopedics & Sports Medicine, P. C. treat knee conditions and injuries at their 3 convenient offices in St. John, Crown Point and Lowell, Indiana.  Our orthopedic physicians are specially-trained in treating knee conditions and injuries.  As leaders in orthopedic care, we provide minimally invasive and innovative treatment options, as well as utilizing state-of-the art technologies, to create unique and individualized care plan designed to get you back on your road to recovery and regaining an active lifestyle!!

FAQs on Unstable Kneecap

Unstable Kneecap

As long as your kneecap (patella) stays in its groove in the knee, you can walk, run, sit, stand, and move easily. When the kneecap slips out of the groove, problems and pain often result.

Cause & Symptoms

Cause

The kneecap connects the muscles in the front of the thigh to the shinbone (tibia). As you bend or straighten your leg, the kneecap is pulled up or down.

The thighbone (femur) has a V-shaped notch (femoral groove) at one end to accommodate the moving kneecap. In a normal knee, the kneecap fits nicely in the groove. But if the groove is uneven or too shallow, the kneecap could slide off, resulting in a partial or complete dislocation.

A sharp blow to the kneecap, as in a fall, could also pop the kneecap out of place.

Symptoms

  • Knee buckles and can no longer support your weight
  • Kneecap slips off to the side
  • Knee catches during movement
  • Pain in the front of the knee that increases with activity
  • Pain when sitting
  • Stiffness
  • Creaking or cracking sounds during movement
  • Swelling

Diagnosis

During the physical examination, your doctor may ask you to walk around or to straighten and bend your knee.

The doctor may carefully feel the area around your kneecap and take measurements to determine if the bones are out of alignment or if the thigh muscles are weak.

X-rays may be recommended to see how the kneecap fits in its groove. Your doctor will also want to eliminate other possible reasons for the pain, such as a tear in the cartilage or ligaments of the knee.  An MRI may be necessary and occasionally a CT scan is needed.

Treatment Options

Treatment

If the kneecap has been completely dislocated out of its groove, the first step is to return the kneecap to its proper place. This process is called reduction.

Sometimes, reduction happens spontaneously. Other times, your doctor will have to apply gentle force to push the kneecap back in place.

A dislocation often damages the underside of the kneecap and the end of the thighbone, which can lead to additional pain and damage to the cartilage on either the undersurface of the kneecap or covering the thighbone. Occasionally, a loose piece of cartilage is created. Arthroscopic surgery can correct this condition.

If the kneecap is only partially dislocated, your doctor may recommend nonsurgical treatments, such as exercises and braces.

Exercises will help strengthen the muscles in your thigh so that the kneecap stays aligned.

Cycling is often recommended as part of the physical therapy. A stabilizing brace may also be prescribed.

The goal is for you to return to your normal activities within 1 to 3 months.

A chronic condition, in which the knee continues to be unstable, can often be corrected by surgery. For example, surgery can be used to realign and tighten tendons to keep the kneecap on track, or to release tissues that pull the kneecap off track.