Ask The Doctor

Dear Ask The Doctor: Hi I was wondering if you would have a solution to my knee buckling a lot it seems like. My knee buckles probably 10 times a month sometimes it takes for ever for my knee cap to go back in place. It has not happened in about a month because I have been wereing a knee brace.

Dear Logan: The patellar dislocations are common in teenagers, more frequent in females. Usually when they occur for the very first time, the patella is reduced to its normal position by a physician; a knee immobilizer is applied to keep the knee in full extension and followed by a short course of physical therapy. It is strongly recommended a follow up with an orthopedic surgeon.

To avoid a new patellar dislocation, conservative measures must to be taken: physical therapy with the objective to strengthen and realign the knee join, and apply knee braces, but when the patellar dislocation occurs more than 2-3 times, becomes recurrent, frequent in this case the assessment by an Orthopedic Surgeon must be done, and the surgical treatment (operation) has to be considered to stop the damage of the joint bone and cartilage that is produced with every new episode of patellar dislocation.