Knee Pain Health Center

Knee Dislocation

Medical Treatment

• Relocation: The doctor will move your lower leg back into position.
• Immobilization: To keep further injury from happening and to help with the beginning of healing, the entire knee joint will be kept in a splint or immobilizer. This will keep the knee from bending and help the tissues to start healing.
• Referral: A knee dislocation almost always has severe tears of the ligaments and sometimes has breaks in the bones of the knee. After swelling has gone down, the knee may need surgery to regain function. A bone specialist (orthopedist) will need to see you after this injury.

Next Steps Follow-up

• The knee should be immobilized, and you should be given crutches.
  
• Do not put weight on the affected leg. Elevate the leg as much as possible.
  
• Follow up with the orthopedist.

Prevention

• Attempt to avoid major accidents.
  
• Avoid risky activities such as skiing, motorcycle riding, or jumping from high places.

Outlook

In general, this is a very serious injury.

• Almost all knee dislocations require surgery because major injury to the artery occurs in 21-32% of all knee dislocations.
  
• After appropriate treatment and surgery, however, results have been good. Knees return close to normal in most cases. Chronic pain is a common problem, occurring in 46% of cases.

Synonyms and Keywords

knee dislocation, knee dislocations, patella, knee injury, knee pain