What is a Patella Fracture?

The kneecap or patella is the largest sesamoid bone in the body and one of the components of the knee joint, present at the front of the knee. The under surface of the kneecap and the lower end of the femur are coated with articular cartilage, which helps in smooth movement of the knee joint. The kneecap protects the knee and provides attachment to various muscle groups of the thigh and leg. Fracture of the kneecap is rare and is more common in adult males.

Causes of Patella Fracture

The most common cause of fracture is a direct blow to the kneecap such as a fall or a motor vehicle accident. The patella can also be fractured indirectly, due to a sudden contraction of the thigh muscles.

Symptoms of Patella Fracture

Pain and swelling are the predominant symptoms of a patella fracture. A few patients may also experience inability to walk and difficulty in straightening the knee. Sometimes, bruising may also be seen around the fracture site.

This depends! Inflammatory Arthritis is managed mainly with medicines by a Rheumatologist. When the joint damage is too severe, surgery is often required. In the hip or knee this may require joint replacement surgery

OsteoArthritis. In the early stages of OA, the knee joint can become inflamed. As a result, the knee becomes painful, tender, may catch or become stiff. Mobility becomes increasingly difficult and painful.

This early OA can be managed with simple measures. These are called ‘Non-Surgical’ treatments.

More severe OA causes increased pain, instability and deformity of the knee joint and non-surgical measures are no longer sufficient. When this occurs, surgery is usually recommended.

Post-Traumatic Arthritis Prevention is better than cure! If you are unlucky enough to sustain a fracture involving your knee, then it is important to reduce the joint surface to a near perfect position. This will usually involve complex surgery which is performed by orthopaedic surgeons trained specifically in this area and Dr. Thornton-Bott has training and experience in managing these types of fractures.

If despite correct fixation of the joint, you develop arthritis in your knee, then Dr. Thornton-Bott will treat you as if you have osteoarthritis with both non-surgical and surgical methods as described above. Sometimes the arthritis will require a knee replacement which can be complicated by the earlier surgery. Dr. Thornton-Bott has the expertise to perform such surgery.