Otherwise, the bursa may be removed completely by surgery to eliminate the problem and the possibility of recurrence. After surgery, the knee is usually kept immobilized in a plaster, to prevent a secondary bursa from forming in place of the original one. About four weeks after the operation, the surgeon normally allows rehabilitation to start, following removal of the plaster. This is a problem which can occur at any age, but which often happens to children. If it starts in pre-teen years, it tends to be a continuing problem, with episodes which gradually get worse over the years.
Girls are particularly vulnerable to the problem.
When the dislocation is a continuing, chronic problem, the episodes tend to be relatively mild, so that the dislocation is hardly recognisable as such. However, in the older sportsman especially, the dislocation can be severe, with the knee-cap remaining out of alignment until it is manipulated back into place. Specialist care will aim to correct the mechanical defects which contribute to, and are caused by, the knee-cap dislocation. You will be set a programme of exercises to strengthen the inner part of the quadriceps. If your foot mechanics have contributed to the weakness in your knee, a podiatrist will make up special orthotic foot-supports for you.