• ANTERIOR KNEE PAIN
• INSTABILITY: DISLOCATION & SUBLUXATlON
• CLINICAL EVALUATION
• RADIOLOGICAL EVALUATION
• TREATMENT
Anterior knee pain
1. patellofemoral overload
2. overuse in athletes
3. jump knee (patellar tendonitis)
4. patellofemoral subluxation
5. bipartite patella
6. patellar cysts or tumours
7. prepatellar bursitis
8. plica syndrome
9. osteochondritis disseccans
10. discoid meniscus
11. torn meniscus
Historical Perspective
Initially anterior knee pain was attributed to chondromalacia patellae (1960's).
Hughston: chondromalacia due to impingement of medial facet on lateral condyle during subluxation.
Merchant: separated chondromalacia into normal and abnormal patellar alignment types, treatment
involved lat release.
Insall: excessive Q angle, patella alta. causes of dislocation and subluxation respectively, treatment by
proximal realignmcnt.
Ficat: tight lat retinaculum producing patellar tilt
Maquet: lateral pressure synd
Larson: lat retinac release
Fulkerson: small nerve degen in tight lat retinac
Schutzer: CT studies of malalignment
Concepts: consider pain I instability dysplasia patella and patella femoral joint.
Classification of Instability
Pulkersolt & Hungerford:
1. articular lesion a) nil b) softening c) fibrillations d) OA
2. with a) subluxation h) subln & tilt c) tilt only d) no malalignment
Dislocation:
1. single
2. recurrent
3. congenital
4. habitual
Subluxation
Dislocation of the Patella
Dislocates laterally as the knee is flexed
Single dislocation due to in jury
Recurrent dislocation involves predisposing factors:
1. ligamentous laxity
2. lateral femoral condyle underdevelopment & flattening of the intercondylar groove
3. maldevelopment of the patella (too high or too small)
4. valgus knee deformity
5. primary muscle defect
During a dislocation medial capsule is torn
This may fail. to unite correctly resulting in lateral laxity
Repeated dislocation damages articular surfaces and may get flattening of condyle.
This will facilitate further dislocations.
Cogenital dislocations:
permanently dislocated
rare
Habitual dislocation:
dislocates every time the knee bends
reduction on extension
Subluxation:
more common than realised
abnormal patellar alignment
chondromalacia may result
Clinical Evaluation
Tilt
due to posterior' pull on lateral patella
lat facet almost parallel to posterior condylar line
Subluxation
Type I. Subluxation alone
complain of instability rather than pain
increased risk of dislocation
Type II. Tilt & subluxation
inc load on lateral facet
dec load on med facet
central patellar shear
instability
Type III. Tilt alone
increased risk of medial patellar OA/lateral facet OA
retinac adaptively shortens and may be painful in flexion
retinac thickening & shortening leads to lateral pressure synd (medial patellar excursion is normally 15 mm)
Type IV. No malalignment
Add A, B or C if:
A. No articular lesion
B. Minimal chondromaqlacia (Grade 1or 2)
C. OA (Grade 3 or 4)
Radiographic Evaluation
AP & Lat XR's: patellar sclerosis, patella alta (patella tendon>1.2x length of patella.
on lateral with line in 2070 degrees flexion)
Sunrise XR trabec reorientation in the lateral facet in lat facet press synd angle of
congruence > 16 degrees to indicate subluxation on XR taken at 4S degrees of knee
flexion (Merchant)
ER view: (Malghem & Maldague)
lateral PF angle
CT: tilt normally 14 degrees at 1020 degrees off flexion and >7 degrees in full extn
MRI
Treatment
consider alignment patterns & location of osteoarthrosis when planning treatment
acute repair of medial structures
Non operative
retinac, hamstring & IT hand stretching
quads strengthening (VM)
elastic knee support
patellar taping
NSAIDS
orthotics
activity modification (avoid high resistance 090 degrees)
LA injury to confirm diagnosis eg. in lat retinac
exclude other causes of knee pain
more stable with age
females>males
often bilateral esp. if malalignment is underlying cause
insidious on set is is more likely to he due to malalignment
dislocation when quads contracts with knee in flexion
knee stuck in flexion
prominent medial femoral condyle
local tenderness of muscle, tendon & retinac
apprehension test +ve between episodes
quads contracture
evaluation of malalignment (Q angle> 15 degrees & rotation of the lower extremity)
Q angle is between line from ASIS to midpatella and line from midpatella to mid
tibial tubercle
look for medial or lateral shift on flexion/exten (J sign)
normal patellae are firmly engaged in trochlea. at 30AD degrees flexion
tilt (correctable or not) indicating lat. retinac tightness
glide or play
compression test (articular case)
alignment on standing
heel varus/inversion
pronation of foot or lower extremity and hyperlaxity
PF∙ instability classified by Dugdale & Renshaw in a review of 210 Down Syndrome
children:
Grade 1: stable
Grade 2: subluxation half of patella's width
Grade 3: dislocation
Grade 4: already dislocation but reducible
Grade 5: irreducible
Patterns of Malalignment
Operative
if non operative treatment fails (66% of paediatric cases)
arthroscopy to document degeneration, debride, treat other conditions
arthroscopic: shaving only if recurrent effusion due to cartilage flaps/fibrillation
must correct underlying cause
principle is to realign the extensor mechanism to a more favourable angle
relieve pressure on cartilage
1. suprapatellar
2. infrapatellar soft tissue
3. infrapatellar
4. patellectomy (reduces extension power 3040%)
Fulkerson:
Type IA, IIB: lateral release ...but inconsistent results
VM advance may be required
Tib tubercule transfer medially esp if low troch and lat. rel does not produce PF
alignment
Type IIA & IIB: lateral release
medial imbrication or Trillat may also be required if severe subluxation
Possible complication of medial subluxation
Type IIC: anteromedial tibial tubercule transfer
Type IIIA & IIII3: non operative
lateral rel if this fails (good results)
Type IIIC: anteromedial transfer
Evaluate likelihood of success with distal tibial tubercle transfer. Extcrnally rotate
and extend knee (reproduces symptoms); internally rotate lessens symptoms
Anterior transfer should be l5mm
Complications of Maquet:
1. morbidity of bonc graft harvest
2. skin necrosis
3. non union
4. anterior compartment syndrome
Anteromedial transfer
does not requirc bone graft
max anterior transfer is l7mm
avoid lateral release & debridement if PF alignment is normal
Distal patella tendon hemitransfer
Medial semitendinosis tenodesis