Knee Dislocation

If you think you dislocated your knee, go to the nearest hospital's emergency department. Seek care for these reasons:

• Extreme pain or swelling after a serious injury (such as a car crash) An obvious deformity of your knee Numbness in your foot No pulses in your foot

Go to the hospital's emergency department for medical care for a dislocated knee.

Self-Care at Home

This injury should not be cared for at home. It is best to get medical care as soon as possible. Placing ice on the injured area may help for some pain control and to decrease some of the swelling. But the most important treatment is to have a doctor assess the injury and relocate or put the knee back in place.

Follow-up

• The knee should be immobilized, and you should be given crutches. Do not put weight on the affected leg. Elevate the leg as much as possible. Follow up with the orthopedist.

Prevention

• Attempt to avoid major accidents. Avoid risky activities such as skiing, motorcycle riding, or jumping from high places.

Outlook

In general, this is a very serious injury.

• Almost all knee dislocations require surgery because major injury to the artery occurs in 21-32% of all knee dislocations.
• After appropriate treatment and surgery, however, results have been good. Knees return close to normal in most cases. Chronic pain is a common problem, occurring in 46% of cases.