knee cap dislocation

hi..
i am a female 22 years old.i had a knee cap dislocation 2 month ago. the doctor said i had my MPF torn and i have been in braces for 1 month and now i'm on rehabilitation. My question is that how long will it takes until i can walk as normal again? now i can walk without crutches but very slow and sometimes the knee tends to bend more while im walking.So i use 1 crutch to support me. Is there any possibility that i had torn my ACL? Is it normal that the knee is still swelling? i had a very sharp pain on the medial side of the knee while trying to bend it and it feels very thight. Im quite frustrated because it heals very slowly.i'll be having a big exam in 1 month time and im really worry about it.

[DrNavneetMD]

Hi,

One of the most common problems involving the knee joint is an anterior cruciate ligament tear. The anterior cruciate ligament is the primary restraint to forward motion of the shin bone (tibia). Thus, ACL prevents the tibia from sliding too far forward and also contributes stability to other movements at the joint including the angulation, rotation at the knee joint. When an ACL injury occurs, the knee becomes less stable and there is a sensation that the knee will 'give out' from under them. Consequently, there would be difficulty in doing high demand work beyond the activities of daily living.
Please correlate with the following signs (if any) which may suggest an ACL tear,
1. Sudden giving way of the knee
2. Hearing a 'pop' at the time of injury
3. Sudden swelling of the knee joint
4. Pain in the knee when walking
An ACL tear may be difficult to diagnose immediately after the injury because of associated pain and swelling. There may also be muscle spasm that contributes to making the knee difficult to examine. Therefore, it may not be possible to conclusively determine the presence of an ACL tear soon after the injury. If an ACL tear is suspected, you will return for follow-up evaluation with your orthopedic surgeon
The physical examination and history are just as good as a MRI in diagnosing an ACL tear. While the MRI may be necessary in some cases, it is not necessary to diagnose most ACL tears.
Please consult your orthopedic surgeon for further evaluation. If the diagnosis of ACL is confirmed then the surgeon may recommend ACL reconstruction surgery.
Wish you a happy healing.
Take care

[jazie06]

Please I am supposed to have an ACL reconstrustion my accident was since aug 2011..they found the problem few weeks after and said I have 18 weeks to av the operation.....the hospital is messing me about its been nearly 10 months can i still have the operation and will I ever beable to run,dance jump again? please help this is so unfair...I am so disappointed by NHS!
s

[jazie06]

Oh and the pain is getting worse I cant even keep it bent for too long.. and my good leg is suffering too.. I stopped using my brace n crutches a long time ago...cos the doc said I need to strengthen my leg b4 the op ive been waiting months 4.......kmt .please someone reply!

[babymamma287]

The problem with knee surgery is the fact that most surgeons don't want to perform the surgery on someone young, they believe it could hinder the recovery process and may actually cause more reconstructive surgeries in the future.  It's also a matter of if the insurance will approve the surgery or if you would have to pay for a large portion of it out of pocket.  It can be a strain but here, just for an example, this calculator provides a good explanation of what the costs might stagger out to be.  Customize it to your age, insurance, pre-exisiting conditions and location and it will pop out a bill that you could be looking at once the surgery is complete.

http://www.healthline.com/surgery/total-knee-replacement/costs

In any case, I would confront your doctor about your feelings and the pain you're experience, or if worse comes to worse, ask for a second opinion if you don't think he's doing what he should be doing.  Good luck Jazie06.