Treatment for a Fractured Kneecap
- Urgent Care. Patella fractures can cause extensive bleeding into the joint. Emergency treatment may include draining...
- Nonsurgical Treatments. Physical therapy and walking aids to help you regain strength and independence.
- Kneecap Repair Surgery. Surgical treatment is typically recommended for more severe kneecap fractures. ... Remove...
What is the healing time for a broken knee cap?
What is the Prognosis for a Broken Knee Cap? Although a fractured kneecap is a serious injury, it is also one which most people make a full recovery from within 2 to 3 months. Initially, there will be a period on incapacitation, but after 2 to 3 weeks, it should be possible to walk on the knee, using crutches or another form of walking aid.
How do you repair a broken knee cap?
Wearing a hinged knee brace, cast, or splint:
- Hinged knee brace: The hinged knee brace can be locked in certain positions. Right after surgery, your brace will be locked in a straight position. ...
- Cast: You may need a cast after surgery. When the cast is removed, caregivers may teach you special exercises to help strengthen your leg.
- Splint: You may need a splint after surgery. ...
Can a broken knee cap heal on its own?
Healing of patella fracture may take 3 to 4 weeks, however, for fully able to walk on your own it may take 6 weeks or more. As one should be able to bend the knee and bear weight on the affected leg to be able to walk. When can I bend my knee after patella surgery?
How do you repair a cracked kneecap?
- Knee microfracture, which requires the damaged cartilage to be cleared away completely. The surgeon then uses a sharpened tool called an awl to pierce the bone.
- Knee drilling, which uses a drill or wire to make tiny holes the bone. ...
- Knee abrasion arthroplasty, which requires the damaged cartilage to be completely cleared away. ...
How long does it take to recover from a broken knee cap?
Most people will return to their normal activities within three to six months, though those with severe injuries may require longer to heal. Your doctor may suggest making changes to your daily routine to prevent re-injury.
Can you walk with a broken knee cap?
In most cases, patients can walk while the bone heals as long as the brace keeps the knee straight during ambulation. Most patients use crutches, a walker or a cane for stability during the healing process.
Can a fractured kneecap heal without surgery?
How is a patellar fracture treated without surgery? If the pieces of bone are not out of place (displaced), you may not need surgery. Your doctor may apply a cast or splint to keep your knee straight and help prevent motion in your leg. This will keep the broken ends of bone in proper position while they heal.
Is a broken kneecap a serious injury?
A patellar fracture is a serious injury that can make it difficult or even impossible to straighten your knee or walk. Some simple patellar fractures can be treated by wearing a cast or splint until the bone heals. In most patellar fractures, however, the pieces of bone move out of place when the injury occurs.
How do you sleep with a broken patella?
How do you sleep with a broken patella? Since you'll be wearing a brace, cast, or splint to keep your knee immobile, sleeping on your back is likely to be most comfortable position. You may also want to use pillows underneath the knee to keep it slightly elevated.
What You Need to Know
Patella (kneecap) fractures (broken kneecap) are common injuries. About 1% of all broken bones are broken kneecaps.
What is a kneecap fracture?
A kneecap (patella) fracture is a break of the bone located on the front of the knee joint. The patella is a sesamoid bone: a round bone embedded in a tendon that shields and protects a joint. In the case of the patella, ligaments attach it to both the thigh muscles (quadriceps) and the shinbone (tibia).
Types of Kneecap Fractures
The type of patella fracture depends on the mechanism and severity of the injury. It can be affected by your weight and general health.
What causes kneecap fractures?
Patella fractures are injuries often associated with a blow to the knee. Common causes include:
Kneecap Fracture Diagnosis
Your doctor may use some of the following techniques to determine if you have fractured your patella:
Treatment for a Fractured Kneecap
Treatment for patella fracture varies depending on how severe the break is, as well as your age, health and other factors.
Recovery and Complications After a Patella Fracture
The knee is a complex joint that bears weight. Even after treatment, you may experience continued pain and reduced range of motion. Post-traumatic arthritis (thinning of cartilage due to trauma) of the knee is a common complication of patella fractures and other knee injuries.
What happens if you have a fractured bone in your knee?
In this condition, blood from the fractured bone ends collects inside the joint space, causing painful swelling. If you have a large amount of blood in your knee, your doctor may drain it to help relieve your pain. Your doctor will also order x-rays to help diagnose your fracture.
Where does a fracture occur in the knee?
A break can occur at the top, center, or lower part of the bone. Sometimes, fractures occur in more than one area of the kneecap. This x-ray of a knee taken from the side shows a patella that has been fractured in three places.
What happens if you break a patella bone?
If the pieces of bone are out of place (displaced), you will most likely need surgery. Fractured patellar bones that are not close together often have difficulty healing or may not heal. The thigh muscles that attach to the top of the patella are very strong and can pull the broken pieces out of place during healing.
Why is the patella vulnerable to fracture?
Because the patella acts as a shield for your knee joint, it is vulnerable to fracture if you fall directly onto your knee or hit it against the dashboard in a vehicle collision. A patellar fracture is a serious injury that can make it difficult or even impossible to straighten your knee or walk.
What causes patellar fractures?
Patellar fractures are most often caused by: 1 Falling directly onto the knee 2 Receiving a sharp blow to the knee, such as might occur during a head-on vehicle collision if your kneecap is driven into the dashboard
What is a stable fracture?
Stable fracture. This type of fracture is nondisplaced. The pieces of bone may remain in contact with each other or be separated by just a millimeter or two. In a stable fracture, the bones usually stay in place during healing.
Why is it important to treat an open fracture?
Open fractures are particularly serious because, once the skin is broken, there is a higher risk for infection in both the wound and the bone. Immediate treatment is required to prevent infection.
What to do if you have a torn tendon in your knee?
If you have a severe fracture, or if your tendon is torn, you may need surgery to repair or replace your kneecap.
What happens when you break your kneecap?
Sometimes when a broken kneecap occurs, the patellar or quadriceps tendon can also tear. The patella and quadriceps tendon connects the big muscle in the front of your thigh to your knee joint.
How long after a knee splint can you go back to work?
You may be able to return to work: A week after your injury if your job involves mostly sitting. At least 12 weeks after your splint or cast is removed, if your job involves squatting or climbing. Return to sports activities after your provider says it is OK.
How long should I wear a splint on my leg?
Your provider may ask you not to place any weight on your injured leg for up to 1 week or longer. Please check with your provider to find out how long you need to keep weight off your injured leg.
How long does it take for a bandage to be removed from a knee?
Use soap and water to keep your wound clean when your provider says you can. If you have stitches (sutures), they will be removed at around 2 weeks. Do not take baths, swim, or soak your knee in any way until your provider says it is OK.
How to reduce swelling in knees?
This will help reduce swelling and muscle atrophy. Ice your knee. Make an ice pack by putting ice cubes in a plastic bag and wrapping a cloth around it. For the first day of injury, apply the ice pack every hour for 10 to 15 minutes.
Can you put weight on your leg after a knee injury?
After that, you can begin placing weight on your leg, as long as it is not painful and your provider says it is OK. You will need to use the splint on the knee. You may also need to use crutches or a cane for balance.
How to prevent kneecap injury?
Once your kneecap has healed, making the muscles around your knee stronger can help avoid further injury. Playing contact sports or doing other activities that put stress on your knee can increase the risk of another injury to the kneecap.
How many types of surgery are needed to repair a fractured kneecap?
Kneecap fractures account for about 1% of all skeletal injuries. Two types of surgery may be done to repair a fractured kneecap. Once your kneecap has healed, making the muscles around your knee stronger can help avoid further injury.
Why do you need a kneecap when walking?
Though the kneecap is not needed for walking or bending your leg, it makes your muscles more efficient and absorbs much of the stress between the upper and lower portions of the leg.
What causes a broken kneecap?
What causes a fractured kneecap? In most cases, a broken kneecap is caused by a direct blow to the front of the knee from a car accident, sports or a fall onto concrete. Most kneecap fractures occur in people between the ages of 20 and 50.
What percentage of skeletal injuries are fractured kneecaps?
Kneecap fractures account for about 1 percent of all skeletal injuries. The kneecap can fracture in many ways: partially or completely, into a few or into many pieces. Sometimes when the kneecap is fractured, the ligaments or tendons attached to it can be sprained or torn.
What is the patella of the knee?
The kneecap (the patella) is a triangular bone at the front of the knee. Several tendons and ligaments connect to the kneecap, including ones attached to the upper leg (femur) and lower leg (tibia) bones. Though the kneecap is not needed for walking or bending your leg, it makes your muscles more efficient and absorbs much ...
What is the best way to check for fractured kneecap?
X-rays, taken from several angles, are the best way to learn the extent of a fractured kneecap and to check for other injuries. If other injuries are suspected, a computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging scan may be done.
How long does it take for a fractured kneecap to heal?
If the bone is cracked but the pieces stay in place, the treatment involves immobilizing the leg for about six weeks until the fracture is healed.
Why do I need a knee massage?
Right from the start of my rehab, knee massage has been crucial. It helps loosen scar tissue inside the joint, keeps the external scar supple, encourages the muscles to wake up AND it soothes the pain during and after physio sessions.
How to get your knees out of the towel?
Sit or lie with legs out straight. Roll up a towel or something similar (I used a soft pillow) and place it under your knee. Press your knee down into the towel and lift your heel at the same time. Try to get your leg out straight, keeping your knee on the towel as you do.
How to get rid of a swollen thigh?
Sitting or lying with both legs out straight, flex your foot back, push your knee down and tense your thigh muscles as tightly as possible . Hold for a few seconds then relax. Hold for longer when it becomes easier.
Can you fracture your patella?
Usually, this would take the form of a fall or forceful knock or blow. However, it is possible to fracture your patella by over-extension of the quad muscles with sudden and excessive force.
Overview
A patella fracture is a break in your kneecap — the small, flat bone that covers and protects your knee joint like a shield. It’s usually caused by direct injury like a fall on your knee, a blow to your knee or a collision, lik with the dashboard in a car accident.
Symptoms and Causes
A patella fracture is usually caused by a direct blow to your kneecap, such as in a fall, from a sports injury or from a car accident. More rarely, it can also be caused by a sudden muscle contraction in your knee.
Diagnosis and Tests
Your healthcare provider will ask about your symptoms and what happened at the time of the injury. Then they’ll examine your knee. They might have you try to extend your leg. If you can’t, that will likely necessitate surgical intervention. They may also be able to feel the edges of the fractured bone pieces through your skin.
Management and Treatment
Examination: The treatment for a patella fracture depends on the nature of your break. Your healthcare provider will begin by physically examining your knee and checking for signs of hemarthrosis. They may need to treat the hemarthrosis first by draining some of the blood. Then they will take X-rays to determine the type of fracture you have.
Living With
Make sure to follow through with physical therapy after your fracture has healed, in order to restore your muscle strength and range-of-motion.
How do you know if you have a patella fracture?
The patella is the triangular bone at the front of the knee. It glides up and down the thigh bone every time we walk or climb stairs.
Types of patellar fractures
Here, the broken pieces are in still their original position, or their separation is <3mm.
How long does it take to recover from a patellar fracture?
It typically takes at least 8 weeks to heal. It will take more depending on ( 1 ):
FAQs
Walking may be safe if you can perform a straight leg raise. In this case, your doctor can suggest walking with partial weight-bearing.
Conclusion: Can you have a patella fracture without knowing?
It’s unlikely. Most patella fractures are painful. They also cause swelling and can make it hard for you to move your knee.
Resources
Gwinner, Clemens et al. “Current concepts review: Fractures of the patella.” GMS Interdisciplinary plastic and reconstructive surgery DGPW. Jan. 2016. DOI: 10.3205/iprs000080
