Patella (knee Cap) surgery and treatment after dislocation: What are the long term prospects?

What are the long-term prospects following treatment for knee cap dislocation?

The sooner the treatment is initiated, the better the long term outcome. However, in most cases treatment is started too late. The majority of patients, particularly younger ones, tend to consult their doctor only when the dislocation has become a recurrent problem.

If treated early, success rates for long term stability in the knee joint without any discomfort, would be over 80 percent. When diagnosis and subsequent therapy are delayed, the likelihood of a successful long term outcome as described above, drops to below 20 percent and the development of arthritis in the knee joint (femoropatellar joint) is common. Chondropathies and severe cartilage damage are also often associated with this condition when it is left untreated.

Recent studies confirm excellent clinical results with reconstructive surgery. This method also reduces the risk of trauma to the knee joint, however, we do not yet have any data on success rates from long term follow up.