Hello my name is Charlie. I'm 17 years old and have dislocated my right knee twice (Both at the age of 17 and both non contact injuries). My dad has also dislocated both his knees, but decided not to have surgery and instead focus on PT. Fortunately, he hasn't dislocated them in 20 years.
However, my OS has told me that because I have dislocated it twice, it is unlikely to heal and I risk further dislocations without surgery. He suggested MPFL Reconstruction to stabilise the kneecap. I not overly keen on surgery because I have A levels in May and June. In addition, I am going interrailing at the start of July. In the long term, I want to be able to play sports competitively.
First of all, I want to know whether I will be able to revise post op? How much school will I miss? Are there any knee braces I could wear whilst interrailing to reduce the risk of another dislocation? Whether I should delay my operation until after summer holidays and instead wear a knee brace and have lots of PT? And whether intense PT can solve knee dislocations even if you have shallow grooves?
Cheers Charlie
