"Dent" in patella

[bbilka]

I experienced a fall resulting in a direct blow to the patella approximately 4 weeks ago. There was some bruising, but no swelling and very little pain, and I've had full use of the knee and leg the entire time.

The problem is that there is a 1-inch long, 1/4-inch wide "dent" in the upper-middle of my patella that won't go away.

A doctor examined it a few days ago, and he was sure that it was fractured. But X-rays showed no sign of a fracture. He admitted to being baffled, as you can see the "crack" under my skin and feel it. He examined the knee again and eventually sent me away with an apology for not being able to diagnose it and some "apply heat and ice" instructions.

Do you have any idea what this may be?

[Michael L Gross, MD]

You may have post-traumatic bursitis of the prepatellar bursa. Even after this has almost completely resolved, you may be left with chronic thickening of the bursal tissue. This can be quite tender, and can feel like loose bone chips under the skin. An MRI would be diagnostic for either a soft tissue injury versus a non-displaced (hairline) fracture of the patella

[bbilka]

Thank you, Dr. Gross! Very helpful.