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To understand what a loose kneecap is, I need to explain a bit.
The kneecap is also called the patella.
In fact, loose patella is one of the hardest things to understand.
This page and the subpages are about loose patella problems, also known as patella instability.
This page is to help you to hopefully help yourself to get good treatment.
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Loose kneecap – patella instability
Below is a menu where you can browse around and hopefully find something that suits you. Today we know that there are a wide range of reasons why your kneecap becomes loose, meaning you have developed patellar instability.
It is crucial to find the exact reason(s) why you have developed a loose patella – patella instability.
In the vast majority of cases, the kneecap becomes loose because your knee is built crooked in one way or another.
Finding out exactly why your kneecap is loose is crucial.
If you’re built too crooked, the risk of continuing to have a loose kneecap – patella instability – is high and you may be best served by surgery. tend to fail, either because the kneecap hurts or becomes loose again if the underlying cause is not addressed.
Do I really need to know about loose kneecaps?
Unfortunately, loose patella issues are not only complicated for you, but also for your therapist.
Your task is to familiarize yourself with loose patella instability so that you can ask critical questions to your therapist.
Thankfully, there are skilled therapists, but do not have blind trust. If you are in doubt whether your therapist is on top of it, it is a good idea to ask for a second opinion.
Loose kneecap is a symptom.
It’s important to understand that there can be several causes of having a loose patella – patella instability.
It is important to find all the causes.
So before deciding which treatment to undergo, it’s crucial that you at least undergo an MRI scan of the knee.
The MRI scan can see if there is any cartilage damage that may need surgery and it can see if you have one of the underlying causes of patellar instability.
Sometimes X-rays and/or CT scans are also required.
How should loose patella (patella instability) be treated?
First and foremost, the reason why you have developed loose patella instability must be found.
This is because in many cases loose patella can be treated without surgery, but if you have a knee imbalance it can be difficult to achieve a stable knee without surgery.
It is therefore a matter of examining the knee by a specialist and looking at an MRI scan to determine what is best for you.
How crooked or malaligned can the knee be to avoid surgery?
This is difficult to give a precise answer to. In some cases, the malalignment is so severe that the chances of achieving a stable, pain-free knee without surgery are too small. In most cases, however, it’s a good idea to try so-called non-operative treatment first. In the old days, it was said that you should only operate for a loose patella if the kneecap had been dislocated twice.
Today, we know that many of those bothered by patella instability have actually only had their kneecap dislocated once, but the kneecap continues to feel loose.
In fact, it can be so loose that it severely affects your quality of life, even if it doesn’t necessarily dislocate, but just slips out a little – so-called kneecap subluxation.
Physiotherapy for loose kneecap – patella instability.
Non-surgical treatment for loose patella consists of exercises and training guided by a physiotherapist.
In some cases, a so-called knee stabilizing brace can help hold the kneecap in place until the training is complete.
What are the causes of loose kneecap – patella instability?
Here are the most common causes of a loose kneecap.
1. Trochlear dysplasia, which means the groove to the kneecap is not deep enough, is the most common cause of a loose kneecap.
I know a lot about this particular condition.
Not only have I been involved in a lot of research in this area, I’ve also written a book on trochlear dysplasia.
Furthermore, I have developed an operation that uses binocular technology to perform an operation that deepens the groove to the kneecap (arthroscopic trochleoplasty).
You can read more about trochlear dysplasia by clicking here.
2. patella alta, which means the kneecap is too high, is the second most common cause of loose patella.
You can read more about high patella by clicking here.
3. Inward pointing kneecaps – squinting patella are also an important and much overlooked cause of loose kneecaps.
You can read more about inward pointing kneecaps by clicking here.
4. The patellar tendon attachment (Tibial Tubercle) is too far out.
This condition has for many years been thought (and many still believe) to be a common cause of loose patella – patella instability.
It was often said that if the TT-TG distance (a specific measure) was too high, it was because the patellar tendon attachment (tuberositas tibia – tibia tubercle) was too far out.
Today we know that this is not the case.
The very common operation called medialization of tibial tuberosity (mTTO) has been shown in several so-called meta-analyses to be a redundant operation.
For this reason, I have almost stopped performing these operations.
5. Knocked knee – valgus knee.
This is a slightly rarer but important cause of loose kneecap – patella instability.
This means that if you are very calf-kneed, you are at risk of your kneecap remaining loose.
If this is the case, your misalignment must be corrected by a so-called osteotomy (wedge surgery).
6. Hypermobility.
In certain cases, hypermobility can be a contributing factor to loose kneecap – patella instability.
Connective tissue diseases such as Ehlers-Danlos can be a particular cause.
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LOOSE KNEECAP
More about loose kneecap – patella instability
Inward pointing kneecaps – kissing knees – Squinting Patella
ANTERIOR KNEE PAIN
Inward pointing kneecaps – Kissing knees – Squinting Patella
