Patellar Fracture - Initial Postoperative Program

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About the program:

This program is aimed at patients who have undergone osteosynthesis of the patella.

You may start the program immediately after being discharged.

The goal of the program is to prevent muscular atrophy, to restore mobility in the knee, and to eliminate bad compensatory habits.

For a full and timely recovery, it is necessary to perform the exercises daily.

 

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What the program contains:

- The program contains video playlists.

- A new playlist is loaded every day.

- The videos combine a detailed description of the exercise with a visual demonstration of how to correctly perform it.

- The exercises gradually progress in difficulty.

 

46 days of rehabilitation

45 different exercises

427 videos total

 

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Necessary equipment: foam roller

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Attention!

All rehabilitation exercises are only to be performed until you feel a stretch up to a mild discomfort. Under no circumstances should you cause yourself any pain. If you feel any pain, please take a short break and resume exercising at a reduced strain level. Overexertion will slow down the recovery process!

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This program was created with the help of:

Dr. Marin Benkin, MD, Chief of Arthroscopic Surgery at Serdika Hospital

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Contact:

Please don’t hesitate to ask us your questions. Dial +359889250440 or use the chat bubble on the bottom right.

 

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Patellar fractures tend to occur as a result of direct impact, e.g. sustaining a blow to the knee from a hard object or falling on your knee.

The patella or kneecap is a circular-triangular bone at the front of your knee. Several tendons and ligaments attach to the kneecap, including ones that connect it to the thigh and the lower leg.

The kneecap is at the front of the knee joint, making it prone to fracturing in sports like football, volleyball, weightlifting, athletics, etc. The elderly are also at risk, with cases increasing after 60. This is an injury that causes swelling in the knee joint, owed to hemorrhaging and inflammation. Attempting to actively extend the knee causes acute sharp pain and motion is limited.

The initial goal of rehabilitation is to reduce the pain, swelling, and inflammation in the knee. Cold packs are applied for 15-20 minutes at a time, over the course of multiple hours. This can greatly reduce the swelling and pain. Rehabilitation exercises should start on the 2nd to 3rd day after surgery, but not with full range of motion and only with very limited strain on the joint. The progression curve of the range and intensity of motion of the exercises will depend on the nature of the fracture and condition of the knee (fragmentation, stability of the fixation, etc.). Emphasis is placed on the quadriceps femoris, as it tends to be the muscle most likely to weaken due to inactivity. Mobilization of the patella prevents surrounding tendons from fusing together, and it improves blood flow to the area. Patients with a repaired broken kneecap are advised to perform painless exercises for flexibility, stability, and balance. During the recovery period, it would be beneficial to at some point introduce an exercise bike as well. It’s important to start rehabilitation on time, in order to achieve a proper recovery of the knee joint.

The average recovery time after surgical treatment of a patellar fracture is between 4 weeks and 3 months.