Patellofemoral subluxation

Written by Dr Sheila Strover on March 14, 2025

Patellofemoral subluxation is when the patella briefly jumps almost out of the walls of the groove in the femur bone, but then returns to its normal position.

Illustration of a patient unable to continue tennis because of a painful 'catching' in her knee.
The patient may experience sudden unexpected incidents of pain and 'catching' in the knee.
Illustration looking down at one's knee, to show the position of the patella during a subluxation event.
The patella slips out of its normal alignment but remains contained by the boundary of the underlying groove, and immediately returns to its normal position and the person can resume activities..

Symptoms of patellofemoral subluxation

Usually subluxation is experienced as a momentary painful 'catching' during walking.

A-Z Keywords -

Patellar dislocation, Dislocation, Catching, Locking

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