Home > Blogs > Best Exercises For Fractured Patella

Best Exercises For Fractured Patella

Knee pain and stiffness are the most frequent consequence following a patella fracture. Exercise, therefore, plays a crucial role in returning to a normal life. Always consult your doctor before starting any exercises.

If the fracture is un-displaced (stable) patella fracture can be treated with the help of exercises and braces together. But if the fracture is displaced, it will require surgery.

Here are some best exercises for non- displaced fractured patella:

Standing Hamstring Stretch: Place the affected leg's heel on a stool that is about 15 inches high. Maintain a straight leg. Until you feel a slight stretch in the back of your thigh, lean forward while bending at the hips. Continue this exercise for 15 to 30 seconds for 3 times and repeat this exercise twice a day, if suggested by your doctor.

Quadriceps Stretch: Standing with your wounded side furthest from the wall, distance yourself from it by arm's length. Brace yourself by placing one hand against the wall while facing straight ahead. Grab your wounded knee with your other hand, and pull your heel toward your buttocks. Avoid bending or arching your back. Keep your knees firmly joined for this exercise. Continue this exercise for 15 to 30 seconds.

Straight Leg Raise: Legs should be extended straight in front of you while you lay on your back. Your unaffected side's knee should be bent when you place your foot flat on the ground. Lift your leg approximately 8 inches off the ground while contracting the thigh muscle on the afflicted side.

Maintain a straight leg and strong thigh muscles. Return your leg to the ground slowly. Repeat this exercise 15 times at least.

Step-Up: Standing with your wounded leg supported by a 3 to 5-inch high support, such as a small table or block of wood. Maintain a flat surface with your other foot. Place your wounded leg on the support and shift your weight there.

By applying slight pressure on your wounded leg stand on the table and lift up your non-wounded leg such that your wounded leg becomes straight. Keep standing for 30 secs on your wounded leg only and then get down. Repeat this exercise 15 times.

Wall squat: Face a wall with your head, shoulders, and back. Look directly in front. Maintain a relaxed posture by taking support from the wall and squatting up to 30 degrees. Hold for 10 seconds in the sitting position and then relax for about 5 seconds. Repeat this exercise 10 times.

Standing Calf stretch: In this exercise, place your hands on the wall near your eyes while facing the wall. With your heel on the ground, keep your affected leg back. Keep the other leg straight ahead while bending it. Turn your back foot inward just a little.

When the back of your calf stretches, gradually lean against the wall. For 15 to 30 seconds, maintain the stretch. Perform this exercise multiple times.

Side-bending: Lean oppositely from the front leg while crossing one leg in front of the other. While doing this, extend your arm straight, parallel to the floor, and keep the backside of your upper body straight and parallel to the floor.

Keep your body straight such that your upper half is a little bit twisted compared to your lower body. For 15 to 30 seconds, maintain this posture. Go back to the beginning place and start the exercise again. After three repetitions, switch legs and do the exercise three more times.

Stationary Bicycle Riding: After some weeks of your injury, your doctor may advise you to start riding a stationary bike for 10 minutes or 15 minutes a day. The time may be increased depending upon your recovery phase. Take 5 minutes rest between the peddling and continue for 15 minutes.

Always remember to consult your doctor. Any of these exercises wrongly done, can harm your patella. Your doctor may suggest different exercises for your fractured patella. The exercises could differ for different weeks. At the beginning of your recovery, your doctor may suggest you some easy exercises which change as the week passes.

Patella

Patella is also known as Kneecap. It rests in front of the knee joint, where the thigh bone and shine bone meet and guard it against any harm or injury. It is located inside the quadriceps tendon and is the largest sesamoid bone in the human body.

One bone that everyone is familiar with and that serves a vital purpose is the kneecap. The main function of the patella is during knee extension. It allows smooth and easy movement of the knee in both extension and flexion. It also protects the anterior surface of the joint.

Patella Fracture

The patella is relatively more vulnerable than other bones. They are more common in males between 20 years to 50 years of age. If you fall directly on your knees or bang against anything can cause the patella to easily break, which is the main reason for Patella Fracture.

A patellar fracture is a serious injury that can make walking or straightening your knee difficult. Sometimes, the fracture can be treated with Physiotherapy, braces, medicines, and exercise, but in most patellar fractures, the damage causes the bones to dislocate or break, and for such complicated fractures, surgery is required to repair and stabilize the kneecap and enable recovery.

Types of a Patella Fracture

Stable Fracture:
As the name suggests, this type of fracture is not displaced from the actual place of the patella. The bone fragments may either remain close to one another or maybe a few millimeters apart. In this type of fracture, the bone remains in place throughout the healing process.
Stable Fracture:
As the name suggests, this type of fracture is not displaced from the actual place of the patella. The bone fragments may either remain close to one another or maybe a few millimeters apart. In this type of fracture, the bone remains in place throughout the healing process.
Displaced Fracture:
The shattered ends of the bone are separated and do not line up properly in a displaced fracture. The smooth surface of the joint is also disrupted. Surgery is a necessity for this kind of fracture to reunite the broken knee.
Comminuted Fracture:
This kind of fracture results in the bone breaking into three or more pieces by direct trauma mostly caused due to falling or an accident. A comminuted fracture could be stable or unstable depending on the precise pattern of the fracture.
Transverse Fracture:
When your patella fractures in two, it is said to have a transverse fracture. Surgery is frequently used to repair these breaks. These injuries can be treated surgically using a variety of approaches.
Open Fracture:
An open fracture occurs when the bone breaks in a way that bone pieces stick through the skin or when a wound extends to the bone. An open fracture frequently results in soft tissue injury in the immediate area and may require more time to heal. Since there is a higher chance of infection in the wound and the bone once the skin is broken, open fractures are particularly dangerous. To avoid infection, treatment must be started right away.

Causes of Patella Fracture

The patellar fracture can be caused by multiple reasons such as:

Falling: A patella fracture can result from landing straight on the knee. Walking, running, or taking part in sports or exercise programs can all result in falls. They might also happen as a result of being pushed or tripped.
Accident: The knee may crash onto the dashboard or seat after a car collision, breaking the patella. Patella fractures brought on by accidents can range from mild to severe.
Muscle imbalance: The quadriceps tendon may put too much tension on the patella due to strong quadriceps and weak hamstrings. A patella fracture can occur if a quadriceps/hamstring muscle imbalance is not addressed.
Weakening of bones: Sometimes, the kneecap can break with even small injuries too. Like your bones get weakened and apply extra pressure on your knees which can result in a fracture of your knee cap.

Symptoms of Patella Fracture

The symptoms of a patella fracture include:

Pain around the kneecap or the knee
Bruising
Swelling
Inability to bend or straighten the knee
Inability to walk, stand, or bear weight
Deformed appearance of the knee with severe fractures
Bone coming out from the skin of the knee

Diagnosis of Patella Fracture

If you experience any symptoms of patellar fracture, consult an orthopedic doctor near you. Your doctor or surgeon can use some technique to determine if you have fractured your patella by:

Asking about your recent traumas such as sports injuries, accidents, or falls.
Physical examination of the knee. In this doctor will examine and check the deformities felt through the skin such as gaps. There may be some gap between the patellar fragments which can be physically examined.
Putting mild pressure on the knee cap, and can check the cause of pain.
X-ray examination of the knee cap.

Treatment of Patella fracture

Non-surgical management is usually successful in fractures with minimal displacement in which the patient is able to raise their leg straight. But the displaced fractures and disruption require surgical repair. Depending on the severity of your knee fracture, the doctor may suggest some surgical as well as nonsurgical methods. Some methods include:

Braces

Orthopedics doctors advise wearing a knee cast or brace for four to six weeks for many patella fractures that don't need surgery. Orthopedic surgeons guarantee that the support system fits you precisely. By stopping the leg from the thigh to the shin bone, the braces enable the patella to heal properly.

Physiotherapy

Therapy helps to restore the range of motion in your knees. Lifting the leg, for example, is a simple weight-bearing exercise that can help the muscles surrounding an injured knee become stronger. Strong muscles increase mobility, support the knee, and guard it against further damage. You may be advised with some simple stretching and strengthening exercises to improve your mobility.

Medications

Patella fractures may cause discomfort. As the fracture heals, your doctor could advise painkillers to help you feel better. Consult your doctor before taking any painkillers.

Surgery

Displaced fractures require surgical repair. The options of surgery depend upon the fracture configuration and potential of the patella to heal. Various surgeries are performed depending on the condition of the patella. It includes Cerclage wiring, tension band wiring, partial patellectomy, and complete patellectomy.

Looking for Fractured Patella Treatment?

The best qualified medical professionals to treat patella fractures and other knee injuries or disorders are orthopedic specialists. If you are facing any problem in your bones & joints or experiencing symptoms of a patella fracture, don't hesitate to get in touch with an orthopedic surgeon.

Cure My Knee provides the best solution to your problem. Cure My Knee has a dedicated team of senior orthopedic surgeons, physiotherapists, and a patient care team committed to providing the best care with traditional as well as the latest technology and innovation to offer the best treatment.