Broken Kneecap: Treatment, Causes, Symptoms And Diagnosis

A Broken Kneecap Overview

By Fiona Snow. Last Updated 14th June 2022. If you suffered a broken kneecap, the chances are you would not be able to walk and just attempting to straighten your knee would prove impossible. Fractured kneecaps are serious injuries and you would need medical attention as soon as possible not only to relieve pain, but to have your injury correctly diagnosed and treated.

When you sustain a broken kneecap, it’s the small bone that is found at the front of your knee that protects your knee that is damaged. It is the type of the injury that happens if you are involved in a road traffic accident when your knee bangs into the dashboard or when you fall heavily onto a hard surface on your knees. If you sustain a minor injury to your kneecap, your injury would be treated by placing a cast or a splint on the broken kneecap, but should the damage be more severe, the chances are you would need to undergo surgery to put damaged bones back into place.

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Definition of a Broken Kneecap or Patellar Fracture

Broken knee cap

Broken knee cap

When the front part of your knee that acts a shield is damaged, it leaves your knee joint exposed and vulnerable. Broken kneecaps are not only extremely painful but this type of injury is very severe and one that needs to be correctly diagnosed and treated as a matter of urgency. When the bones that act as protection are damaged so much they are displaced, you would need to undergo surgery to stabilise the bones that have been negatively impacted.

Are There Different Types of Patellar Fractures or Broken Kneecaps Injuries?

The small bone found at the front of you knee joint is called the patella and it is found where your femur (thigh bone) meets your tibia (shin bone). Your patella acts as a shield, protecting your knee joint. The underside of patellas, like the ends of a femur, are coated with articular cartilage which is a smooth material that prevents bones from grinding together when they move. You can fracture your patella in several ways which are detailed below:

  • A simple kneecap fracture is a clean break where the bone fractures in two or several pieces
  • A fracture can happen at the lower part of the bone, in the centre or at the top but can also occur in several places

It is also worth noting that you can sustain various types injuries to your kneecap which are as follows:

  • A stable fracture – this is where a bone moves slightly out of position and remains that way during the healing process
  • A comminuted fracture – this is where the bone is shattered typically into more than three pieces
  • An open fracture – this is where the fractured bone breaks through the skin

If you suffered a broken kneecap and are not happy with the NHS diagnosis or treatment of your injury, you may be entitled to a free independent orthopaedic assessment of your broken bone report. You may also quality for free private medical care for a broken kneecap. To find out more, please contact one of our health experts today who would also be able to tell you in minutes whether you would qualify for free private physiotherapy aftercare in your area.

Which are the Different Causes and Symptoms of a Broken Kneecap?

There are various ways you could sustain a broken kneecap with the most common cause being when you fall heavily on your knees. However, you can suffer this type of injury in other ways which are detailed below:

  • Your quadricep muscles contract suddenly which results in your kneecap being ripped open
  • You are involved in a road traffic accident and your knees hit the dashboard violently

Broken kneecap symptoms include the following:

  • Extreme pain
  • Swelling around the affected knee
  • An inability to move or straighten your knee
  • An inability to walk
  • Bruising

To find out more about free private treatment for a broken kneecap and whether you would qualify for free private physiotherapy aftercare in your area, please get in touch today. One of our health experts is waiting to take your call.

What Kind of Treatment Can You Get For a Broken Kneecap Free of Charge?

As previously mentioned, a broken kneecap is a very painful and serious injury that needs to be correctly diagnosed and treated as soon as possible. If you would like to know if you qualify for free private treatment and aftercare for your injury in your area, please contact The Health Experts today. We would tell you in minutes what sort of free care and treatment you might be entitled to which includes ice pack therapy, a medical cast and free private physiotherapy aftercare.

When Should I Seek Medical Attention for a Suspected Broken Kneecap?

If you were involved in an accident and banged your knees on the dashboard of a car, or you fell heavily and hard onto your knees which resulted in a tremendous amount of pain, you should seek medical attention as soon as possible. Even if the fall or accident was minor and you believe your injuries to be slight, you should also seek medical attention if you experience the following:

  • Pain and discomfort that last for longer than 48 hours
  • If the swelling around your knee lasts for more than 48 hours
  • You are unable to fully move your knee and you are unstable on your feet

Because there are no muscles on your knee joint, any pain and discomfort you may experience could not be put down to “muscle pain”. However, the cartilage and the meniscus which is the “shock absorber” in your knee joint, may have been negatively impacted causing the discomfort and pain. Should the meniscus have been torn, it would restrict any movement in your knee joint and you would experience a tremendous amount of pain.

When you sustain any sort of trauma to your knees, there would be a lot of swelling due to soft tissue damage. The swelling alone causes a lot of pain and restricts movement and results in stiffness in an affected knee joint. You may also experience clicking sounds as tendons around your knee are pushed out of place due to the swelling.

If you feel that you are unable to bear any weight on your damaged kneecap, it could be because the ligaments that support your knee have been negatively impacted. The result is a feeling of “instability” which is a sign that a lot of damage has been done and which could be a good indication that you suffered a broken kneecap.

What Kind of Free Broken Kneecap Treatments Could I Receive?

Many UK residents who suffer a broken kneecap do not realise they could be entitled to free private medical care in their area. By calling us today, we could let you know in minutes whether you qualify for free private treatment, free private physiotherapy aftercare and free medical aids all of which could help speed up a broken kneecap recovery time.

How Long Does it Take to Recover From a Broken Knee Cap?

You may want more information about how to recover from a broken knee cap. The recovery time for a broken kneecap or busted knee caps can vary depending on the extent of the injury. Typically, you should recover from a fractured patella within 2 to 6 weeks. However, if there are complications, this can take longer.

According to the NHS, there are a few ways you can help yourself during the healing process. They include:

  • Applying icepacks to help with the pain and stiffness.
  • Ensuring that you perform exercises once your cast has been removed or you’ve been given a boot.
  • Taking the required medication.
  • Elevating the injured leg when resting. This can help reduce swelling.
  • Not driving whilst in a cast or a brace.
  • Minimising the degree to which you’re moving around. This can allow the swelling to settle.

There may be a particular broken knee cap symptom that you’re struggling with. If so, it’s important to refer to your doctor who can work with you on a recovery plan.

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Is There a Safe and Fast Healing Process for a Broken Kneecap?

Aftercare and rehabilitation is all-important when you suffer a broken kneecap and effective pain management during the healing process is essential. Any sort of kneecap fracture will hurt for anything up to a couple of weeks and providing you take care and refrain from attempting to move around, you should be back on your feet within several weeks. However, if the pain and discomfort you experience is too severe, you should ask your doctor to prescribe stronger pain relief medication.

If you have undergone surgery on your fractured kneecap, rehabilitation plays a key role in getting you back to full health so you can carry out your normal daily activities. This is where physiotherapy plays such an important role in your recovery and why you should take advantage of any free private physio aftercare you may be entitled to in your area.

Physio exercises help improve the following when you suffered a broken kneecap:

  • It improves motion in your knee
  • It strengthens weakened leg muscles
  • It helps reduce stiffness around your knee
  • It helps improve weight bearing on an affected leg

To find out more about free private physiotherapy in your area and whether you qualify for this type of aftercare, please get in touch today.

Are There Any Complications Associated with a Broken Kneecap?

If you suffered a minor fracture to your kneecap, the healing time typically takes anything from 4 to 6 weeks. 

If, however, your injury was very severe, you could be off your feet for anything from 6 to 12 weeks. With this said, you could potentially qualify for free private physio aftercare in your area.

There are some complications associated with broken kneecaps which can develop even though you were successfully treated for your injury. This includes the following:

  • Arthritis due to cartilage damage
  • Muscle weakness due to quadriceps muscle tears
  • A lot of motion when extending and bending a knee
  • Chronic pain – wearing a knee brace or some other type of support often helps

What is the Prognosis for a Broken Kneecap?

When it comes to prognosis for a broken kneecap, this depends on the severity and complexity of your injury as well as the following all of which could have a impact on the prognosis:

  • Whether you had to undergo surgery
  • How long your rehabilitation lasted

In the majority of cases, most people who suffer a broken kneecap are able to return to work and carry out normal daily activities in anything from 3 to 6 months but should you have sustained a very severe fracture to your kneecap, it could take even longer for you to make a full recovery.

Could I Qualify for Any Other Effective Free Treatment for a Broken Kneecap?

You may find that you qualify for additional free private treatment and physiotherapy in your area. You could be entitled to free medical aids which includes specialist knee supports. To find out more, please call TheHealthExperts.co.uk today and one of our health professionals would tell you straight away what sort of free additional treatment and care you may be entitled to in your area.

Can I Recover Safer and Possibly Faster From a Broken Kneecap?

Knee injury treatment

Knee injury treatment

You would certainly need to undergo physiotherapy following an accident that left you with a broken kneecap. You could qualify for free private physio in your area.

Call us today to find out in minutes what sort of treatment and aftercare you could be entitled to in your area.

I Think My Doctor Missed Something When Treating My Broken Kneecap, What Should I Do?

If you are unhappy with an NHS diagnosis and treatment of your broken kneecap, you could be eligible for free private healthcare. The links at the bottom of the page provide essential information on the causes, diagnosis and broken kneecap treatment.

We can help by arranging a free orthopaedic assessment of your broken bone report, call us today to find out if you qualify for any additional free private medical treatment and aftercare for a broken kneecap.

Could I Qualify for Free Orthopaedic Assessment for a Broken Kneecap?

As previously touched upon, if you are unhappy with a diagnosis and treatment for a broken kneecap, we could arrange for you to have an independent free orthopaedic assessment of a broken bone report which could bring to light any shortcomings in both the diagnosis and treatment of your injury.

Get in touch today and one of our health experts can tell you straight away what you may be entitled to in your area.

Find Out Whether You Qualify for Free Orthopaedic Treatment for a Broken Kneecap

If you suffered a broken kneecap and would like to get back on your feet safely and as quickly as possible, you may be entitled to free orthopaedic treatment and free medical aids which could help you through the healing process. You may also qualify for free private physiotherapy in your area.

Contact Us to Find Out Whether You Qualify for Free Broken Kneecap Treatment?

To find out whether you would qualify for free private medical care, free private physiotherapy and medical aids, please speak to one of our health experts on 020 3870 4868, our phone lines are open from 9 am to 11 pm, 7-days a week.

Helpful Links

To find out more about fractures, the link below provides very useful information on the subject:

More about fractures

To find out how physiotherapy can help speed up your recovery, please follow the link below:

More about physiotherapy for a fractured patella

To find out more about knee pain, the following link provides essential reading:

More about knee pain

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