Dislocated Knee Recovery Time

The term 'dislocated knee' is commonly used term to infer a dislocated patella. So when someone tells you that they have a dislocated knee, what they mean is that the knee-cap has been dislocated due to a sharp, hard blow to the knee-cap.

Causes of a Dislocated Knee

The patella on the knee gets dislocated due to a variety of reasons. The most common occurrence for the dislocation of the knee is due to a crushing, forceful blow at the knee. People involved in car accidents and bike accidents get a dislocated knee. The second reason causing a dislocated knee is when the knee twists and the quadriceps muscles contract at the same time. Another rare case of knee dislocation may occur, when you get hit on the outer part of your knee very hard. Thus we can imagine that people playing contact sports must be dealing with this problem a lot. But the problem is not always restricted to sportsmen. One bad, heavy landing, and who knows, it could happen to anyone.

Now, how do you know whether the problem is really a patella dislocation or anything else just on the basis of knee pain? The most common pointer is that the patella comes unstuck from the rest of the leg and it looks like it's out of the right spot. Secondly, as the patella comes out, it take a few tissues out with it. This will cause some swelling on the leg as well. Other signs and symptoms of a knee dislocation include a feeling of instability in the knees and 'popping'.

Dislocated Knee Recovery

Sounds bad doesn't it? So how to overcome this problem? It is essential that the knee dislocation is diagnosed so that the treatment can start right away. A dislocated patella moving in and out of the grooves will create much more damage to the tissues and the muscle structures around it.

It is not too hard to diagnose a dislocated knee. Straighten the leg so that the patella doesn't pop up and down in the grooves. You should visit a doctor. The doctor will take an X-ray to assess the extent of the injury and whether there has been any damage to the patella. Usually the doctor prescribes a knee brace to be strapped around the knees which will keep the patella in place and minimize the pressure on the knee. The common treatment for a dislocated knee is abbreviated as RICE: rest, ice, compression and elevation. The first one is quite obvious. It is essential to rest the knee and make sure that there isn't much work for it. Second, apply ice to the injury to make sure that the swelling reduces. Third, compress it with the knee brace to make sure that the patella doesn't come out of place and is close enough for the tissues to rebuild and grip the knee-cap again. And fourth, elevation, to keep it suspended in air and not keeping it on the ground, which puts pressure on it.

Completing the Recovery Time

So coming to the topic of recovery time, dislocated knee recovery happens over two stages. The first stage of dislocated knee recovery is protective rehabilitation. In this stage the objective is to ensure that the damage is reined in, and further damage is prevented. The knee is quite weak and hence activities must be kept to a minimum. This stage could take about 3-5 weeks. The second stage is the rebuilding and strengthening stage. This recovery time for this stage could last from 2 months to 4 months. It is necessary that you do not rush the treatment and remain patient, otherwise you may end up damaging it even more. Your physiotherapist will prescribe certain knee exercises and physical therapy which will help rebuild your muscles and tissues and bring your flexion into the normal range. Thus we can see that the cumulative dislocated knee injury recovery time is about 3-5 months. Another thing to know is during your recovery, you will most likely have to wear an open patella knee brace every time you head out of your home. It also means no sports, no brisk walking/running and a constant watch over how much stress your knee comes under.

So this was all about the dislocated knee recovery and dislocated knee recovery time. It is essential that the person suffering this problem is patient and does not rush through the treatment. Each body is different and takes its own time to recover from injuries like this.