knee cap keeps popping out

[cpl40475]

Any ideas as to what I can do to keep this from happening, Ive been to an ortho (MRI showed no ligament tears) and she set me up with some physical therapy. It helped but Im no longer going, was told it was pretty much healed up.

Since then it has popped out of place 4 or 5 more times and feels pretty unstable. My knee brace helps but I dont want to have to wear it forever.

I do have herniated disks in my back along with degenerative disk and nerve damage in the L and S series of my back. I took lumbar shots (epidurals with steroids) but they only helped a cpl of weeks at the most and each time i got another shot it was a shorter time frame for relief, so the Dr. stopped giving them.

What can I do if anything to help strengthen my knee back up?

 

[DSNuts48]

Well then, I've been sonned.

 

[cpl40475]

I stopped cause they stopped, said it was healed up and most of the fluid had gone away and it felt fine also, now its back to doing the same thing again. I didnt "stop" cause I wanted too. Thats why Im asking on here to see if others have experienced the same thing. From all Ive read its usually a one time thing to happen.
FYI I have another ortho appt this week to see whats going on.

 

[wcoastsoftball]

Do a google search on glute weakness and knee pathomechanics.

 

[wcoastsoftball]

I stopped cause they stopped, said it was healed up and most of the fluid had gone away and it felt fine also, now its back to doing the same thing again. I didnt "stop" cause I wanted too. Thats why Im asking on here to see if others have experienced the same thing. From all Ive read its usually a one time thing to happen.
FYI I have another ortho appt this week to see whats going on.

Definately not a one time thing for a lot of people/athletes.

 

[Onefiver]

Do a google search on glute weakness and knee pathomechanics.

With all of the sitting we do in our culture, the connection here is missed by far too many.

 

[deepsearufio]

i have the same problem, i tore my medial "retinaculum"?? so my right knee cap pops out easily and causes my knee to dislocate. I wear a brace now that has the stiffners on the sides and have had no problems since. embarrasing though most of the old guys wear it and here i am 27 with bad knees. Dislocated both my kned a hand full of times. alot from football and basketball. still have a type 2 tear on my left medial miniscus and the torn medial retinaculum on my right knee. I refuse surgery cause i could get worse.

 

[cpl40475]

Do a google search on glute weakness and knee pathomechanics.

Thanks I will look into those, Therapist had me doing alot of exercises that he said helped strengthen the glutes and lower back. Its kind of making me wonder if my back/hips are getting worse. Im 41 yrs old so not a spring chicken but not a dead rooster either.
The knee brace I wear has the metal plates (hinged) along each side for added stability. Hopefully Ill find out wed. what they want to do this time. They had originally thought I had possibly ruptured my bursa sac (sp) but ruled that out when the fluid went away for the most part.

 

[Onefiver]

I almost always wear a brace - for softball on just one knee, for football on both. I popped both of my knee caps out of place in HS - both popped back in on their own but took some cartilage with them so I have joint mice that pop up every so often. Pretty sure I have repeated the event every so often but not as extreme as the first instance as the joint mice come around every now and then. For the most part, I don't really need them to lift or play - they are more or less a security blanket. If I can do something to minimize the likelihood of having a knee immobilized for a month again, I am going to do it (even if it is just a peace of mind thing). Even so, I am sometimes more stiff in the knee(s) the day after when I choose not to wear them for softball/football, which feedbacks into me wearing them more often than not.

I don't care what people think about it. Having your thigh atrophy away to half the size of the other after 4-6 weeks of knee immobilization is far worse than a bunch of knuckleheads wondering about your knee brace(s), imo.

 

[cpl40475]

I know the feeling I was in a cast for 12 months for a shattered left ankle back in the early 90's. My left calf was almost 8 or 9" smaller than my rt calf. It took alot of therapy to get back to normal. Reading up on what wcoast told me to google has gave me some good insight on what I need to do on my own, after I figure out what the Drs. are going to do. Think I may end up going and getting another appointment for my back also and see if something has moved there also. I did take shots in my hips for sciatic nerve probs also.

 

[Onefiver]

BTW, on a tangential note, ever looked into an inversion table for your hips and back? I am thinking about getting one - hoping it can help with my low back and SI joint from sitting so much for work. I've heard some good things recently on this and probably going to try one out - Teeters has some blems for $149 delivered.

 

[cpl40475]

I have used one at therapy...they do help some. I'm not sure about the ones you can buy for home though. I had no control over mine other than to tell therapist that's too much etc.

 

[Chad4471]

I had this same problem happen to me a lot when I was younger and a few times playing softball. Mine caused a lot of pain and a lot of swelling, however it was usually back to normal after a week or two. I know you said you don't want to wear a knee brace permanently but I think it may be the best option, I haven't had it happen to me once since I started wearing mine. One thing to consider that happened to me is that there became tiny fragments loose in my knee that would occassionally end up in the front of the knee joint and would be very painful and prevent full range of motion, eventually I had surgery to remove them.

 

[cpl40475]

i do have some bone spurs under knee cap so Ill keep that in mind also, I had forgotten about them until you mentioned your probs.

 

[DSNuts48]

Thanks I will look into those, Therapist had me doing alot of exercises that he said helped strengthen the glutes and lower back. Its kind of making me wonder if my back/hips are getting worse. Im 41 yrs old so not a spring chicken but not a dead rooster either.
The knee brace I wear has the metal plates (hinged) along each side for added stability. Hopefully Ill find out wed. what they want to do this time. They had originally thought I had possibly ruptured my bursa sac (sp) but ruled that out when the fluid went away for the most part.

Also look up MobilityWOD. I'd check in with a doctor or PT, because I'm not sure of the restrictions. Though MobilityWOD.com has a lot of videos that focus on fixing imbalances and mobility issues.

 

[pjordan4477]

Any ideas as to what I can do to keep this from happening, Ive been to an ortho (MRI showed no ligament tears) and she set me up with some physical therapy. It helped but Im no longer going, was told it was pretty much healed up.

Since then it has popped out of place 4 or 5 more times and feels pretty unstable. My knee brace helps but I dont want to have to wear it forever.

Careful, my bro-n-law had both knees operated on in high school due to the knee cap popping out.

 

[cpl40475]

Also look up MobilityWOD. I'd check in with a doctor or PT, because I'm not sure of the restrictions. Though MobilityWOD.com has a lot of videos that focus on fixing imbalances and mobility issues.

Thanks. I'm going back to Dr in the morning,ill see what he says and go from there. Hopefully its something I can fix with out surgery before spring season starts.

 

[cpl40475]

Lil update...My bursa sac is ruptured, they are hoping it heals on its own soon although still getting fluid on knee and had it drained twice. It does feel somewhat better but not really the best, went and hit some BP saturday and its pretty sore tonight. Knee brace is gonna be my best friend for awhile.

 

[WhiteBrow24]

I have dislocated my knee cap twice. I tore my MCL both times (2 different spots) I always rock a knee brace and I always work my legs at the gym. I have found that it stopped doing it with regular strength training and making sure leg mescles stay as loose as possible. When they are tight it pulls on different areas (so I have been told)

 

[cpl40475]

Talked with my OG therapist and he gave me some different workouts I can do at home and in the gym to help strengthen my legs and lower back. Hopefully be GTG here soon. Have to go back to ortho after 1st of year to have a check up on knee unless it gets to bothering me again real bad, so far I havent had much fluid build back up on my knee.