Background

Recurrent patellar dislocation (RPD) is a common knee disorders in young, active patients. Medial patellofemoral ligament reconstruction (MPFLR) can restore knee stability and function, but the rate of return to sports is less clear.

Purpose

to evaluate rate of return to sport following treatment of RPD with isolated MPFLR.

Methods

Between January 2011 and May 2018, 113 patients with RPD were treated with isolated MPFLR at an academic center. Pre-injury sports participation and Tegner score, pre-operative subjective IKDC score, time to return to sports, and post-operative Tegner and subjective IKDC scores were collected, with a minimum of follow-up of 2 years.

Results

One hundred and three patients (91%) were evaluated at a mean of 4.5 ± 2.5 years post-operative. Ninety-two patients (89%) participated in sports prior to onset of patellar instability. At final follow-up, 84 of these 92 patients (91%) were able to return to sports. The mean time from surgery to return to sports was 10.4 ± 8.6 months (range: 2 to 48 months). Sixty-two patients (74%) returned to the same (50 patients) or higher (12 patients) level. Twenty-two patients (26%) returned at a lower level. Nineteen of these patients attributed this decreased participation to ongoing knee problems. The mean Tegner score was noted to decrease from 5.2 ± 1.6 pre-injury to 4.7 ± 1.4 post-operatively (p=0.02).

Conclusion

Isolated MPFL reconstruction allowed return to pre-injury sports in 91% of patients, with 67% of patients returning to the same or higher level than pre-injury. Mean time to return to sports was 10 months and post-operative Tegner score was noted to be modestly decreased from pre-injury level.