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Functional Treatment of Patellar Dislocation in an Athletic Population

University of Alabama in Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama

Martin Pomphrey, JR, MD

private practice, St. Louis, Missouri

Keith Merrill, MD

Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina

Fifty-eight athletically active study participants with 69 knees that had experienced patellar dislocations were available for followup after being selected for a func tional rehabilitation program without antecedent immo bilization. Follow-up evaluation was at a minimum of 24 months after onset of treatment and averaged 46.2 months. Good or excellent results occurred in 39 (66%) knees treated after an initial patellar dislocation and in 15 (50%) knees with a chronic history of patellar insta bility. Twenty-six percent of the 69 knees had experi enced recurrent patellar instability at followup. Overall, 42 patients (73%) were satisfied with their knees after this nonsurgical management. Anatomic predisposition and onset of bilateral instability at an early age were found to be significant factors associated with a less favorable outcome.