Treatment For Patella Dislocation And Instability In Children

• Immobilization. Your doctor may recommend that your child wear a brace for 3 to 4 weeks. This stabilizes the knee while it heals.
• Weightbearing. Because putting weight on the knee may cause pain and slow the healing process, your doctor may recommend using crutches for the first week or two after the injury.
• Physical therapy. Once the knee has started to heal, your child’s doctor will recommend physical therapy to help your child regain normal motion. Specific exercises will strengthen the thigh muscles holding the knee joint in place. Your child’s commitment to the exercise program is important for a successful recovery. Typically, children return to activity 3 to 6 weeks after the injury.

Because a dislocation often damages knee tissue, the patella often remains looser, or more unstable, than it was before the injury. As a result, the patella may dislocate again. Recurrences also are common if the dislocation was caused by an irregularity in the knee structure. Ongoing exercises, such as cycling, can strengthen quadriceps muscles in the thigh and prevent future patellar dislocations.