What is a knee dislocation?

A dislocated knee is the movement of the three bones in your knee so that they are no longer in their normal position. In most cases, the structures in the knee are abnormal and cause the structures to be damaged. Some are born with it, known as congenital dislocation of the knee. There is great force when the knee dislocations happen most of the time, as it pushes the bones in your knee joint out of place. It's an emergency and very painful.

If your thigh and shin bones are wholly or partially out of place, your knee may be entirely or partially out of place. This condition, technically known as a dislocated knee, is sometimes called a dislocation. A kneecap may be moved out of place on its own. That's your kneecap, which doctors call the patella. Doctors sometimes call this a patellar subluxation.

Dislocated knees are uncommon but very serious. Other structures of your knee probably also got hurt along with the dislocation. Contact a doctor immediately.

What are the symptoms and signs of knee dislocation?

When you dislocate your knee, you may feel a click or pop. Common symptoms are:

It is excruciatingly painful. Your knee is so unbearable that you cannot straighten or bend it.
Your knee feels unstable.
It's swollen and severely bruised.
Parts of the knee look like they've been knocked out of place.
You aren't able to do activities or sports you usually do.

What causes knee dislocation?

If it's not something you were born with (congenital dislocation), knee dislocation happens as the result of severe trauma such as:

Car accidents: One might hit the knee hard against a sturdy surface, such as the dashboard inside your car; such a blow can be strong enough to dislocate the knee.
Sports injuries: These happen much less often than car wrecks, but your knee can be dislocated if you strike directly with a player of comparable force or with the ground when your knee is bent or if you overextend your knee (bend it backward farther than it's supposed to go).
Hard fall: A hard fall occurs when a runner or skier loses control and lands on an overextended or bent knee. If you trip over a hole in the ground by accident, you can potentially dislocate your knee.

What is the Diagnosis of Knee dislocation?

It would help if you went to the emergency room immediately so they could examine your knee from many angles to confirm the injury.

Examination: The doctor will examine the knee region and seek information on how this was injured. They will note any misshapening and swelling of the knee and observe whether it can be moved.

Your doctor may then press on other parts of your leg to determine if you have bruised any of your ligaments. Ligaments are fibrous tissues that stabilize the knee joint. You commonly injure your ligaments when you dislocate your knee.

They will also comment on the feel and appearance of your skin from just below your knee to your foot. If you dislocate your knee, you can damage nerves or blood vessels, changing your skin's color and temperature. For instance, this would impair your circulation or sensation below the knee. In the worst cases, you could even lose your limb (amputation) if these severe complications are not treated in time.

Ankle-brachial index test: This test can detect changes in blood flow. It compares blood pressure measured at the ankle with the usual place on the arm. If the ankle-brachial index number is low, it may indicate that blood flow to the legs has been impeded by the dislocation.
Electromyography: Your doctor can administer this test to assess your muscles and nerves. They will place a needle in your muscle to record electrical activity. Electrodes on the surface can measure the speed and strength of signals from your nerves.
Imaging: Your doctor is probably going to want to take a look inside your knee.
An X-ray confirms that your bone has been displaced out of the joint. It may also tell if there are bones broken from your accident.
An MRI could tell if any of the ligaments or other soft tissues in the knee have been damaged. It will also assist a surgeon in preparing before rebuilding your knee. An MRI or ultrasound also can show whether there is a nerve injury or not.

Your doctor may also perform an arteriogram, an X-ray that shows blood flow in your arteries and veins. This is another method to determine whether the knee dislocation damaged blood vessels.

What is the treatment of knee dislocation?

Your treatment will depend on how badly you have been injured.

No-surgery alternative: If the damage to your knee isn't extreme, your physician will attempt to pop your bone back into place by pressing and moving your leg in certain ways. This is going to be horribly painful, probably. Your physician will offer to give you medicine so that you won't feel what's happening. Once you're properly aligned, you may spend a few weeks in a cast or splint because you won't be able to put any weight on your knee during that period.

You might need surgery to fix the dislocation as well as other injuries your injury has caused, including:

Fractures
Ruptured ligaments
Nerve damage
Blood vessel damage

You may not see a surgeon for 1 to 3 weeks after your injury, to allow swelling to dissipate. Meanwhile, you will require wearing a splint, keeping your leg raised, and applying ice to the injury.

Your surgeon performs arthroscopic knee surgery. In this surgery, he makes small cuts around your knee.

You may need "open" surgery, with larger incisions. The degree you need is based on how severe to the rest of your knee.

How long are you going to be recovering from a knee dislocation?

Once you have had surgery, you may need to wear several different kinds of knee braces as you recover. Some let you bend your knee -- to make it easier to overcome stiffness.

After you have finished using the splints or orthotics, your doctor should send you to a physiotherapist for rehabilitation of your knee. In rehabilitating your knee, you will be practicing exercises to strengthen the muscles around your knee as well as working toward achieving full range of motion in your joint.

Your recovery is going to depend on the seriousness of your injury, but, if there were compromised vessels and nerves around the knee area, then that also figures into your recovery. If you seek treatment in time, you will probably recover to regain your health again. The overall time for recovery from a knee dislocation is long. You can even need rehabilitation for your knee for at least one year. Given more strict adherence to your doctor's advice, you will most probably recover faster. Some athletes may even return to their respective sports, though they will not be able to return with the same level of proficiency.