Patella baja

Patella baja is a kneecap that is positioned abnormally low in relation to the groove of the femur.

patella baja after arthrofibrosis
This image is of an extreme case of patella baja (one of our knee forum patients!) where the tissues below the patella repeatedly became 'stuck down', eventually requiring radical surgery of cutting the patellar tendon, mobilising the knee until it was quiet, and then grafting the tendon.

 

Who gets patella baja?

Some people are born with an atypically low patella, but more often it is a complication of injury or surgery. An abnormally low patella (also called patella infera) is a common complication of total knee replacement. It can also occur after quadriceps muscle weakness, opening-wedge tibial osteotomy, fractures of the tibia, and arthrofibrosis inside the knee.

 

Consequences of patella baja

If patella baja is not adequately managed it can lead to decreased range of motion (ROM), inability to fully straighten the knee, impingement with anterior knee pain and possibly rupture of the patellar tendon.

Synonyms: 
Patella infera
Low-riding patella
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Related Content

1991 - The early diagnosis and treatment of developmental patella infera syndrome

An 'interpretation' of a 1991 publication, describing how to recognise the early stages of internal scarring causing the patellar to pull down into an 'infera' position.

1987 - Infrapatellar contracture syndrome. An unrecognised cause of knee stiffness with patella entrapment and patella infera

An 'interpretation' of a 1987 article where surgeons were understanding the role of scarring in entrapping the patella and drawing it into an abnormally low and painful position.

Pages

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FORUM DISCUSSIONS

Patella baja and PT.

Patella Baja torture....

Victory over patella baja & arthrofibrosis including new patellar tendon.

CLINICAL PUBLICATIONS

Patella baja and total knee arthroplasty (TKA): etiology, diagnosis, and management. Chonko DJ, Lombardi AV Jr. and Berend KR. Surg Technol Int. 2004;12:231-8.

Complete excision of the infrapatellar fat pad is associated with patellar tendon shortening after primary total knee arthroplasty. Gwyn R, Kotwal RS, Holt MD, Davies AP. Eur J Orthop Surg Traumatol. 2016 Jul;26(5):545-9.

Changes in patella tendon length over 5 years after different types of knee arthroplasty. Davies GS, et al. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 2016 Sep;24(9):3029-35.

Patellar tendon lengthening for patella infera using the Ilizarov technique. In Y, Kim SJ, Kwon YJ. J Bone Joint Surg Br. 2007 Mar;89(3):398-400.

See also -

 

eBook - Arthrofibrosis and patella baja

Easy-to-read eBook explaining how the scarring process of arthrofibrosis can affect the patella, pulling it down into a position where every knee bend becomes painful.