dislocated knee

[cathcloud]

Hi there,
Two days ago I had a skiing accident and my knee popped out. On extension in popped back in and after being carted off the mountain it was iced and strapped. At Accident and Emergency they took x-rays and said some bone has come away and advised me to see an ortho. Meantime I have been given crutches, no strapping and little to no advice. I have been resting as it is very painful to put weight on for extended periods, knee feels weak and unstable.
I will get a date for the orthopedic dr when availability arises but in the mean-time is there anything I should be doing to help myself? Are there exercises I should be doing, it is painful to bend and I am nervous that it may pop out again if I try too much. I have googled and read that people have had long arduous journeys with similar accidents. Commonly, people seem to be given splints, should I have one? Previously I have been active, loving yoga, cycling and swimming so I have strong quads but realise these exercises are out of reach at the moment. Help!

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[physiobob]

Yep, I would get a splint on it to keep it more immobile until you know what's going on. You should get either the x-rays or a copy of the x-ray report. If you can't perhaps get to A&E and get a new one done locally. What to do and how to splint depends on those results.

[cathcloud]

Thanks Bob,
I got the orthopaedic appointment yesterday and it looks like my knee has a shallow groove and patella hangs to one side so this type of injury is more likely. They have allocated a splint and now I must wait until the soft tissue has healed and, until I get a phyiso appointment. There was o mention of surgery.
Meanwhile, I watch while the swelling subsides and my knee returns to its former shape. 6 weeks till I go back to see the doc. I am not sure if I should be fully functional by then or if that is when the physio should really start. Perhaps you can enlighten me on this. The injury is most painful at the 4/5 o'clock position on the right knee. With the splint, crutches and painkillers I can walk, should I be doing this...so many questions I should have asked, I wish I had written them down.
These are important because, as a teacher, I am on my feet all day and although I have another week of the holidays to rest my job is demanding, requiring quick reflexes at times; fully-functioning condition needs to be considered. What is customary in these circumstances?
Finally, your site is amazing and I shall recommend it to colleagues and friends who share struggles after injuries and in reaching NHS physio's.

[loopylu1981]

Oh poor you,
I have been there and dislocated my right knee ( at somerfields) 6 1/2 years ago the ambulance came but as it was my daughters birthday i decided against going to hospital. (i wish i had now)
I never realised the damage i had probably done to me knee. I am now having problems with both knees and my right hip aswell, both feel like they are loose (unstable) My right knee clicks a lot, i can't even cycle anymore as now every time my leg bends and straightens it clicks. i am now obsessed with getting atheritis etc, every day now at various points throughout the day i get different pains inmy knee (not sure if its loose cartilidge getting caught up???)
anyway what i wanted to say is chase up whatever the Drs say and if you don't feel happy push them, its your life, i only wish i had, i am now 29 and feel achey like i am elderly, i can't walk very fast without pain.

[cathcloud]

It is now 12 weeks since i injured my knee and I am happy to say I am making excellent progress. After 3 weeks and in a bid to get out of my house and "imprisonment" (or so it felt) I started my own brand of physio. I began going to a local pool. Hobbling to the edge aided by the crutches, splint, wearing pool shoes to prevent slipping, i stripped off the splint and supported by a good friend, I gently lowered myself into the pool. Once in the water it was amazing, I could start the arduous journey to repair, walking in the water and slowly starting to bend my knee. It looked a bit silly strolling up and down the pool but it felt so good. For those who have had a leg injury they will be well aware of the back and other aches which occur from wonky-walking, well the pool helped. I could stand straighter and because the water takes 90% of your weight it did not put any pressure on the joint. I am convinced that this has helped immensly because when i eventually got my physio, they seemed to be surprised by the bend i had already got. Now i go to knee classes 3 times a week and continue my pool and now gym work. I have finally been able to get a full rotation on the bike and yippee, i feel like i am on the home straight.
I do sympathise with you and your plight with your knee/ hip and all...is it too late to have it checked further or in fact begin physio now. the physio's i am seeing talk about this important balance between flexibility and strength to protect the joints. Thank you for your kind words of support.

[loopylu1981]

I am on the waiting list for physio (have been waiting 7+ weeks) i have been trying to walk more as i have been told to build by quads up to take the strain off my joints, however i'm not sure if the added walking is exagerating my joint pain as i get random shooting pains in my knee, sometimes it feels "normal" other times it feels loose and clicky, i fell sorry for my children as i can't kneel down anymore and have trouble getting down on the floor and if i get down its hard to get up without all the weight/pressure being put ion my knees. I can't squat anymore without pain so when i get something from a low kitchen cupboard i have to bend right over!!!!
It sounds like you are doing a great job at getting yourself fully mobile again. I was 22 when i dislocated my knee and unfortunately was pregnant at the time (17 weeks) so even if i had gone to hospital they couldn't of x-rayed it anyway. I have memories of me crawling up the stairs keeping my bad leg straight.
I am so scared of it happening again there is no pain like it, since then my left knee keeps wanting to slide out ( i know thats whats its doing as the pain is the same) I am not very active and work from home on the computer so lots of sitting (too much) also i am currently clinically underweight and being referred to the Dietetics dept at my local hospital as the Dr said i don't have must fat supporting and cushioning my joints and muscles, to top it all i suffer with anxiety and all this makes it 10 x worse.
I should go swimming but i would worry too much of what other people think
Hopefully my appointment for physio will be soon.
I don't think anyone understands unless they have had a dislocated knee, i would prefer to give birth again!!!
Thanks for listening its good to talk

[cathcloud]

Hey Girlie,
Sounds like you going through a bad phase at the moment. I know what you mean about kneeling down and squats but it will get better. It is perseverance, I am sure that it all hinges on activity levels just to get the blood flowing through the area and scar tissue. It does make you feel old and decrepit well beyond your years as you hobble down the high street (not very attractive) but what the heck! You're underweight and I am overweight...I just wish I could offload some of my suet onto you and that might help us both out.
If i were you I wouldn't worry about what other people think about at the swimming pool, generally people are so hung up about themselves that they really don't notice anyone else and besides, once you are in the water no-one can see anything anyway unless they have a particularly good set of goggles.
Funny isn't it, we are never happy with ourselves, always wishing we looked different, always picking up on our imperfections, what a waste of time and energy because unless one has a sh.t load of money it generally isn't possible. I look back at my younger photo's now and think, what the hell was i worried about, I looked fine! Gosh if I looked half as gtood now i'd be delighted.
Get on out there girl, show em what you've got and don't be anxious, especially if it going to hold you back in your full recovery. Your kids will adapt to what you can and can't do but they are also a great incentive to push on through the pain and arduous journey to full recovery. Take care and be happy.

[loopylu1981]

Hello, just wondering how you are getting along now???
i finally got my physio appointment and have had 5 sessions so far, my knee seems to be getting worse though :-(
My knee cap is sitting too high and is tilted so having a bit of discomfort under and around the knee cap also my ITB is tight which isn't helping things. I have timed this starting to my son going to school full time and me working more (all the time) at the computer and i think over the past 2 1/2 years everything has been tightening up (from lack of use) i am not happy with my physio as she is ready to discharge me but i am not better (far from it) so am paying now to see a private physio hopefully they will help me, ideally i want to stop working from a computer so i canmn loosen everything up again.
I just want to be able to kneel, squat and run without pain or worryu my knee is going to pop out.

I hope your recovery is going well, i don't think my anxiety helps as i tense my muscles frequently ( while i am typing this i keep having to tell my legs to relax......) Doesn't help...

Be nice to know how you are getting along, i have my new physio appointment on 22nd Seept so hope they will say we can completely correct this will take 6 months (or however long) but as long as its correctable.
Sorry i am going on.
Hope to chat soon.
Laura x

[Merlinclancy]

What can be done to treat a kneecap dislocation?

Traditionally, kneecap dislocations were treated by bracing a patient, and allowing the MPFL to heal. Unfortunately, bracing does not seem to be terribly effective, and no matter how long a brace is worn after a kneecap dislocation, the redislocation rate is still quite high. In patients who have recurrent (repeat) dislocations, there are surgical options. The usual treatment is to loosen the lateral (outside) ligaments that pull the kneecap; a so-called lateral release. At the same time, the muscle of the medial side of the knee (the VMO) is advanced to pull the kneecap more centrally.