“How long does a knee dislocation take to heal?”

It sounds like he had a dislocated kneecap ( a true dislocated knee requires urgent surgery). It takes about 6 weeks for the injured ligaments to heal and then about 6 weeks of physical therapy afterward. Even so, some people require surgery to keep the kneecap from re-disclocating.

Hello,

I think you mean he had a knee cap dislocation. I would recommend to take the cast away and exercise to maintain mobility. The lesion will heal in 6 weeks, but it is most important to run a rehab program guided by a physiotherapist. The cast is just to prevent instability.

It depends on the type of dislocation.

A knee dislocation never heals completely.

This is serious business. If he had a true knee dislocation, this is limb-threatening injury with a possible vascular (blood vessel) injury. You should follow your doctor's instructions EXACTLY. Full recovery may take up to a year and require several surgeries. HOWEVER, he probably only had a patella dislocation. Although a bad injury, it is not limb-threatening. Here, recovery is in the 3-4 month range, provided that the knee cap does not dislocate again. Taking the cast off MAY mess up the recovery, so if the doc says wear it, then wear it.

Hope it helps,

Bose

A knee joint dislocation is a serious injury. Likely he dislocated his patella or kneecap which is much more common. Usually it's immobilized for a few weeks and then therapy is started.

A true “knee” dislocation is a serious and rare injury that often compromises the vascular and nerve supply to the lower leg; your husband most likely has sustained a patellar dislocation, which is more common and poses no threat to the leg. The kneecap (patella) acts as a sort of pulley over the top of the knee and has articulate cartilage on the back side since it forms the front of the knee joint. This cartilage gets scraped during a patella dislocation and can cause problems down the road if the cartilage is damaged enough. The usual healing time for a dislocation is 6-8 weeks. Depending on his age and other factors, the knee is likely to be stiff for quite a while and so, if he can begin ROM exercises sooner rather than later (cycling on stationary bike is best), the long-term stiffness becomes less likely.

Dr. Mudano

A knee dislocation is a very serious injury. It’s very important that your husband complies with the instructions of his orthopedic surgical specialist. Very often, surgical repair is indicated. I am sure your orthopedic surgeon will give you good guidance, appropriate treatment, and instruction.