Any idea of recovery after dislocated knee?

[PlantDoctor]

Posting here because I didn't get a reply on the health board.

I dislocated my knee on Wednesday. I fell off the soft play thing I was climbing and it popped back into place. I was told to go to minor injuries, who gave me a knee brace but literally no advice as they said fracture clinic would speak with me the next day. They then cancelled that appointment because I was out of county so I had to call my GP yesterday to get a referral to local fracture clinic, which I'm still waiting to be sorted. Won't hear anything until at least Monday.

To clarify, it's not broken, but apparently fracture clinic deals with dislocations too.

So basically I don't know anything about how much I need to wear the brace, how long for, what to expect in general, etc.. I found an NHS page that said I would have to wear it for 6 weeks, but that seems crazy long time to not be able to bend your leg and walk normally? I'm not sure if that's what they say to everyone or just in certain cases. Does anyone have any experience of a dislocated knee and how long the various stages of recovery took please? It's still pretty swollen.

Freaking out a bit because of course the summer holiday is quickly approaching and I have a very active 4yo!

Sorry to hear this. I haven’t experienced this but would say go and pay for physio instead of waiting around and follow a programme to get your knee back on track. Good luck

Thanks, I did find some physio exercises recommended by the NHS, but would definitely be good to have some guidance to know how far to push things. I don't know if I should be trying to walk and how far etc.

I guess I'm just hoping to hear other people's experiences of a rough timeline of recovery etc , although I appreciate the injury can differ between people. They didn't think I snapped any tendons (?) for example. I was seen by nurses rather than a Dr, but I'm assuming they can tell.

https://www.ruh.nhs.uk/patients/services/physiotherapy/documents/PHY035_Patella_dislocation.pdf
have a read through this op, seems to be a good summary

Did you get a fixed brace? Some of them have a clip on the side to gradually increase mobility.
Call the GP back and check, but I'd assume you wear it until you've been seen.

It's three sections with a metal rod in each one, and it straps over the front. It's quite annoying as it slips down constantly, even when the nurse fitted it. Probably needs adjusting?

Edit to add: I think it's a fixed one

Thanks, this is a lot more optimistic than the page I was reading!

Your main problem will be the ligaments and tendons and if you have badly damaged one of those. I dislocated my knee a few times and 3-4 weeks later it would be pretty much okay ish but the last time ended in surgery as I had torn my mfpl.
I hope its a speedy recovery for you and it doesn't reoccur.

I've had multiple patella dislocations from the age of 15 onwards and have had surgery 4 times to put my knees back together.

You need a proper rehab programme from a physio and ideally, to have a MRI to determine if you've torn any ligaments. If your ligaments or tendons are damaged and you don't sort it out you may suffer more dislocations in the future.

I dislocated my knee and it popped straight back in (possibly a partial dislocation). I am not in the UK so went straight to see an orthopaedic specialist who said I could get a brace if it was painful but it wasnt essential to healing. She actually said I should avoid wearing the brace too much. I didn't really rest it at all tbh. I avoided running or anything that seemed to aggravate it like kneeling but I basically just ignored it and the pain went away after a few weeks.

6-8 weeks plus. Dislocations, sprains and tendon ruptures are generally more complex than a straight forward break.

Thanks everyone. A real mix of experiences. I am eager to work on strengthening the joint, as I really don't want it to happen again. It's a horrific feeling!

Pay for a private MRI, it will be around £300. That will tell you what the damage is. Take the MRI to a sports injury physio who will be able to tell you exactly what you should be doing to recover. I damaged 3 ligaments in my knee so slightly different to your injury, but the NHS group classes and the orthopaedic surgeon were a complete waste of time for me. Good luck