20/08/2025
A patella dislocation occurs when your kneecap (patella) slides out of the groove at your knee joint. Your knee joint is a meeting of three bones: your thighbone (femur), shinbone (tibia) and patella in the middle. Normally, when you bend and straighten your leg, your kneecap slides up and down inside a vertical groove (the trochlear groove) between the bottom end of your femur and the upper end of your tibia.
A network of tendons and ligaments secure your kneecap within the groove, flexing as it moves.
When your patella dislocates, it’s forced outside of the trochlear groove and can no longer move up and down. This locks your knee and pulls the ligaments out of place, often tearing them. Most frequently, your kneecap pops out laterally (to the side of the groove). Like any dislocation, a dislocated kneecap is painful and debilitating until you correct it. But a dislocated patella will sometimes correct itself.
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