Looking into surgery for my patellar tendon, what is the recovery time?

I dislocated my patella over a year ago playing roller derby, I was in an immobilizer for 14 days before the doctor sent me to physical therapy (I wanted a conservative treatment). I did 10 weeks of PT (3 times/week), 4 months of chiropractic care and had 1 cortisone shot (and had an awful reaction to it). I returned to skating with doctors approval and have been experiencing a lot of pain. The pain has increased recently to the point where I cannot do anything without extreme pain, even sitting (elevating & icing) is painful. My doctor has suggested surgical repair but I’d like to know the recovery time on a surgery to repair a patellar tendon. I am looking for milestones (return to walking, no brace, return to regular sports activity, etc). Thanks for any help you can provide.

If you could provide me with the exact name of the surgery you are having, I could help you out. Did you tear your patella tendon (I think you would have had surgery right away if you did…it’s a very large tendon that is hardly ever tore during patella dislocations….it’s the one right below your kneecap) or did you tear the ligament that helps stablize your kneecap (MPFL)?

I had surgery to realign my kneecap because I never got better after I dislocated it. I had what is known as medial reefing and lateral release. I spent 5 weeks in a straight leg brace called an immobilizer, 2 weeks on crutches, and started physical therapy at 6 weeks post-op. I did that for 3 months along with aquatic physical therapy. I also wore a functional brace (one that allows bend) a little more past my 3 months post-op mark. I had my knee drained and cortisone at around 2 months post-op. My surgeon told me return to sports would be at around 6 months. I would need no pain or swelling, full range of motion, and no atrophy to return safely. However, I am now 8 months post-op and went to a second opinion because my knee was not improving. I might need more surgery.

Don’t be alarmed at my story though…the surgery is usually successful. I’m not even sure if that is the surgery you are having.

If your doctor is repairing your MPFL ligament, all I can say is it would probably be at least 6 months to return to sports. I did not have this procedure, but I know 6 months is the general timeline for a lot of knee surgeries.

Good Luck

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