Two types of surgery may be done to repair a fractured kneecap: Open reduction-internal fixation (ORIF) surgery: The surgeon opens the skin and puts the broken bones back together with metal wires, pins or screws. Broken pieces of bone too small to be fixed are removed.
What is the recovery time for a broken knee cap?
- The severity of your injury
- Whether your treatment was surgical or nonsurgical
- The time needed for rehabilitation
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 you break your knee cap and not know it?
The answer to the question can you break your knee cap and not know it? Is in reality, no, as one or more of the above symptoms will always be present. What Are the Most Common Causes of a Broken Knee Cap?
How to heal a sprained knee quickly?
- Rest. Activities that irritates the knee, such as pivoting and walking for long periods of time, should be avoided until the symptoms get better.
- Ice. A person may be advised to apply ice packs to the knee to help reduce swelling and decrease pain.
- Compression. Wearing a tight, elastic bandage around the knee can help stop swelling.
- Elevation. ...
Can a broken kneecap heal itself?
Stable patella fracture: In a stable fracture, also called a “nondisplaced” fracture, the broken pieces of your bone remain essentially in the right place. They may still be connected to each other, or they may be separated by a millimeter or two. This type of fracture usually heals well without surgery.
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.
What do they do for a broken kneecap?
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. Depending upon your specific fracture, you may be allowed to bear weight on your leg while wearing a cast or brace.
What happens if you leave a broken knee untreated?
If a bone fracture is left untreated, it can result in either a nonunion, meaning, the bone does not heal complete and it remains broken, or a malunion, meaning the bone heals incorrectly. Both will allow pain, swelling, and function to worsen over time.
How long does it take to recover from a broken knee cap?
Depending on your age and health, it takes about three to six months to recover from a broken kneecap, but very severe patellar injuries may take longer. For a time, you may be advised to avoid climbing stairs, squatting, kneeling or other activities that place strain on the knee joint.
Can you walk after patella surgery?
Although crutches or a cane may be needed for about a month following surgery, you probably will be able to put a little weight on your knee and begin walking a few days after surgery. The pain typically feels like you bumped into a table.
What is the most common complication following patellar fracture surgery?
Introduction: The most common major complications following surgical fixation of patellar fractures are infection, nonunion and reoperation.
When is a knee injury serious?
If it's immensely painful to stand or put any weight on your injured knee, there's definitely something serious going on. “Inability to bear weight after a knee injury could be caused by a fracture, bone contusion, cartilage injury or ligament tear,” explains Dr.
Can you walk after breaking your knee?
Although some people walk comfortably after a patellar fracture, others can struggle with daily activity. In fact, even those who are walking can have difficulty with other forms of movement. That is because a kneecap fracture can result in problems with knee extension, resulting in a loss of movement.
What injuries can you get from falling on your knee?
A high-impact injury such as a fall or a blow to the side of the knee can cause one or more of these ligaments to tear....7. Torn ligamentanterior cruciate ligament (ACL)posterior cruciate ligament (PCL)medial collateral ligament (MCL)lateral collateral ligament (LCL)
What happens when you fall directly on your knee?
Fracture. It's possible to fracture your kneecap or patella. Because of where the patella sits in your knee, it's susceptible to breaking if you take a hard fall and land directly on it. A fracture is a serious injury requiring medical intervention.
How long does it take to recover from a broken kneecap?
Depending on your age and health, it takes about three to six months to recover from a broken kneecap, but very severe patellar injuries may take longer.
What causes kneecap fractures?
Patella fractures are injuries often associated with a blow to the knee. Common causes include:
What is nondisplaced kneecap?
Nondisplaced kneecap fractures occur when the patella is broken but hasn’t moved out of place.
How many pieces does a patella fracture have?
In a noncomminuted patella fracture, the kneecap is broken in two pieces.
What causes a fracture in the patella?
Fractures of the patella are most often caused by a direct blow to the knee, such as a fall or motor vehicle accident.
What muscle is responsible for pulling the kneecap?
Sudden contractions (pulling) of the quadriceps muscle that causes the tendon to pull on the kneecap and break it apart
When does a patellar sleeve injury occur?
Patellar sleeve injuries can affect children, most commonly between ages 8 and 12 when the bony portion of the knee is still forming. The injury happens when the bony part of the patella gets pulled out of its sleeve of cartilage. The bone is not broken, so technically this is not a fracture, although it is treated in a similar manner.
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.
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.
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.
What is the name of the bone that sits over the front of the knee?
A broken kneecap occurs when the small round bone (patella) that sits over the front of your knee joint breaks.
How to keep a bandage clean?
If you have a bandage on your knee, keep it clean. Change it if it gets dirty. Use soap and water to keep your wound clean when your provider says you can.
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.
Can you use a splint on your knee?
You will need to use the splint on the knee. You may also need to use crutches or a cane for balance. When you are wearing your splint or brace, you can begin straight-leg raises and ankle range-of-motion exercises. After your splint or brace is removed or loosened, you will begin: Knee range-of-motion exercises.
Why does my kneecap fracture?
There are certain situations when the kneecap may fracture even with minor injuries. Sometimes these injuries are pathologic fractures —bone fractures that occur as a result of weak bone. Pathologic fractures can be caused by osteoporosis (thin bone), bone infection, or tumors.
Why is it important to realign the bones and cartilage surface of the kneecap?
One of the important aspects of surgery is to realign the bones and cartilage surface of the kneecap to minimize the development of arthritis of the knee joint. Because of damage to the knee joint cartilage when a fracture occurs, there is a higher chance of the development of arthritis of the joint.
What is patella fracture?
A patella fracture is an injury to the kneecap. The kneecap is one of three bones that make up the knee joint. The patella is coated with cartilage on its undersurface and is important in providing the strength of extension (straightening) of the knee joint. Verywell / Gary Ferster.
How painful is a patella fracture?
Pain: Patella fractures are generally quite uncomfortable. Keeping the knee straight can help significantly with discomfort, and bending the joint is typically very painful. Swelling: Swelling and bruising around the front of the knee is typical of a patella fracture. As days go by, it is not uncommon for the swelling to extend down the leg, ...
What are the complications of patella fracture?
The most common complication of patella fracture surgery is stiffness of the knee. Another complication is that the metal implants can become painful over time—especially when kneeling.
How long does it take to recover from a patellar fracture?
It can take three to six months, on average, to return to prior activity levels after treatment for a patellar fracture. 1 Your recovery time will depend on your physical therapy goals, whether you had surgery or nonsurgical treatment, and the seriousness of your injury.
Why does my knee swell?
The swelling is caused by bleeding from the fractured bone ends into the knee joint. Patients with a large amount of blood in the knee may benefit from draining the blood for pain relief. 1 Immobilizing the knee with a knee brace will also help minimize discomfort.
How Long is the Healing Process for a Broken Kneecap?
Not only in a broken kneecap painful but it could take you several weeks to make a full recovery depending on the severity and complexity of your injury. With this said, there are certain things you can do to help speed up your recovery process which are as follows:
How long does it take for a broken kneecap to heal?
Aftercare and rehabilitation is all-important when you suffer a broken kneecap and effective pain management during the healing process is essential. Any sort of kneecap fracture will hurt for anything up to a couple of weeks and providing you take care and refrain from attempting to move around, you should be back on your feet within several weeks. However, if the pain and discomfort you experience is too severe, you should ask your doctor to prescribe stronger pain relief medication.
When Should I Seek Medical Attention for a Suspected Broken Kneecap?
If you were involved in an accident and banged your knees on the dashboard of a car, or you fell heavily and hard onto your knees which resulted in a tremendous amount of pain, you should seek medical attention as soon as possible. Even if the fall or accident was minor and you believe your injuries to be slight, you should also seek medical attention if you experience the following:
Are There Any Complications Associated with a Broken Kneecap?
If you suffered a minor fracture to your kneecap, the healing time typically takes anything from 4 to 6 weeks. However, with the right rehabilitation, you could help speed up a fractured kneecap healing time considerably.
What is the Prognosis for a Broken Kneecap?
When it comes to prognosis for a broken kneecap, this depends on the severity and complexity of your injury as well as the following all of which could have a impact on the prognosis:
Could I Qualify for Any Other Effective Free Treatment for a Broken Kneecap?
You may find that you qualify for additional free private treatment and physiotherapy in your area which could help speed up your broken kneecap recovery time. You could be entitled to free medical aids which includes specialist knee supports. To find out more, please call TheHealthExperts.co.uk today and one of our health professionals would tell you straight away what sort of free additional treatment and care you may be entitled to in your area.
Can I Recover Safer and Possibly Faster From a Broken Kneecap?
The better the physio is, the sooner you would be back on your feet and able to carry out normal daily activities. You could qualify for free private physio in your area which could help speed up your recovery,.
What is patellar repair?
Patellar fracture repair is surgery that is done to repair a fractured (broken) and displaced patella. The patella (kneecap) is a thick, triangular bone that protects the front of the knee joint. When a kneecap is displaced, pieces of bone have moved out of place. A car accident, sports injury, or a hard fall on your knee may cause ...
How to help a knee when walking?
Using crutches or a cane: Your caregiver will tell you when you can start using crutches or a cane. These devices may help support your knee when walking and may decrease your chance of falling. Follow your caregiver's instructions about how much weight to put on your injured leg.
What is a hinged knee brace?
Wearing a hinged knee brace, cast, or splint: You may need to wear a hinged knee brace, cast, or splint after your surgery. These devices normally cover your leg from your upper thigh to your ankle. Your knee brace, cast, or splint helps support and protect your knee.
What type of surgery is needed for patellar fracture?
You may need an arthroscopic or open reduction and fixation, a partial patellectomy, or a total patellectomy. Your caregiver will repair your kneecap by putting the fractured pieces of it back into their correct places.
Why is it important to move your knee after surgery?
This is very important because it may help prevent displacing your kneecap or other problems after surgery. Some knee stiffness is normal after surgery. Knee movement may help prevent stiffness and swelling of the knee joint. Caregivers may teach you special exercises to strengthen your upper leg muscles.
Can a patellar fracture be a periprosthetic?
You may also have a periprosthetic patellar fracture. This is when your kneecap breaks after you have had surgery to replace your knee. Signs and symptoms of a patellar fracture may include pain and swelling. You may not have any signs or symptoms with a periprosthetic patellar fracture. The type of patellar repair surgery you need depends on ...
Can you put weight on your injured leg?
You cannot put your weight on your injured leg as well as you should. You fall and injure the knee that you had surgery on. You have increased knee stiffness or you cannot bend or extend (straighten) your leg as well as you should. You have questions or concerns about your patellar fracture, surgery, or care.
Why is my knee stiff after patellar fracture?
Because treatment for a patellar fracture can sometimes require keeping your leg immobilized in a cast for a long period of time, your knee may become stiff and your thigh muscles may become weak.
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 does a patellar fracture show on an x-ray?
This x-ray of a patellar fracture shows significant displacement between the broken pieces of bone.
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.
What does a knee exam show?
During the exam, your doctor will check for hemarthrosis. 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.
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.
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.
What is the best way to repair a fractured kneecap?
Surgery is sometimes needed to repair and stabilize the patella, or kneecap, after a fracture. Orthopedic surgeons at NYU Langone have the expertise to determine when surgery is the best option to restore knee function and which surgical technique is most appropriate.
Why do surgeons make incisions in kneecaps?
First a surgeon makes an incision over the kneecap in order to see the pieces of broken bone and assess how well they can be put back together. If any bone fragments are too small to be put back into position, the surgeon may remove them.
What is the procedure to fix a fractured patella?
For a fractured patella, NYU Langone doctors perform open reduction internal fixation surgery , a procedure to put the bone fragments back into place and stabilize the patella while it heals.
How do you fix patella?
In the second part of the procedure, a surgeon reassembles the pieces of the patella and fixes them into place using metal wires and or screws. These parts, made of stainless steel, stay in the body permanently and help keep the bones in place while they heal and grow back together. After the bones are fixed into place, the surgeon closes the incision with stitches or staples.
How long does physical therapy last for patella fracture?
An NYU Langone physical therapist can tailor an exercise regimen to your needs. Physical therapy appointments usually continue twice a week for six weeks as you continue to build strength ...
How long does it take for a patella to be immobilized?
If the patella was fractured into many pieces, or if a bone fragment extended through the skin, the knee may need to be immobilized in a cast or brace for an additional three to six weeks.
What is displaced fracture?
Fractures that require surgery tend to be displaced fractures, meaning the patella has been broken into many different fragments that have separated from each other. In addition, surgery is typically scheduled immediately if any of the bone fragments have broken through the skin, called an open fracture. If the tendons or ligaments surrounding the ...
How to stop knee pain while sleeping?
Sleep on your back to make it more comfortable, with a few pillows under your knee. This can reduce the chance for you to roll over and cause pain while you’re sleeping.
What does the front of the knee look like?
The front of the knee may look bruised and swollen.
What happens when you fall on your feet with your knees straight?
For example, when you fall on your feet with your knees straight, the impact may force your knee joint to bend. This sudden knee flexion will force a strong stretch on the quadriceps tendon. This, in turn, can pull the patella to the point of breaking. ( 2)
How common is patella fracture?
Patella fractures account for 1% of all fractures. They occur mostly in people between 20-50 years old and are more common in men. ( 1, 2)
What is the patella of the knee called?
The patella – also called “kneecap”- is the bone at the front of the knee. It looks like an inverted triangle.
What is the thickest cartilage in the knee?
Plus, our kneecap has a thick cartilage on its posterior surface. It’s the thickest cartilage we have in our bodies. And, it helps make the kneecap gliding as smooth as possible. ( 1)
What is a comminute fracture?
If there are 3 or more shattered parts, we call it a “comminute fracture.” More than 50% of these are non-displaced. But, there’s usually significant damage to the surrounding tissues. ( 3)
Patella Fracture Symptoms
Causes
- A patella fracture most often occurs from a fall directly onto the kneecap.1 When the fracture occurs due to this type of direct trauma, there is often damage to the overlying skin, and because of the limited amount of soft tissue, this can sometimes become an open fracture. Patella fractures can also occur when the quadriceps muscle is contracting but the knee joint is straight…
Treatment
- Patella fractures should be seen in the emergency room. X-rays will determine the type of fracture and the amount of displacement (separation) of the fracture.1One of the critical factors in determining treatment is a thorough examination. Specifically, healthcare providers will check if the patient can perform a straight leg raise. A straight leg raise test is done by having the patien…
Rehab After Surgery
- Following surgery, you will need to keep your knee in a straight position to allow for initial healing.1You will be given a hinged brace, cast, or splint to wear immediately after surgery that will help with immobilization. Exactly when the knee can begin moving depends on your surgeon's protocol, which is specific to your surgery. Gentle motion can usually begin in the first days to w…
Frequently Asked Questions
- 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. Icing the knee a half-hour to an hour before bed, and taking any paink… - What is the average healing time of a broken patella?
It can take three to six months, on average, to return to prior activity levels after treatment for a patellar fracture.1Your recovery time will depend on your physical therapy goals, whether you had surgery or nonsurgical treatment, and the seriousness of your injury.