Hey everyone! Wanted to get on here and give you all some inspirational stories of athletes who have suffered with severe knee instability (subluxations/dislocations) Today I’ll be talking about Shaun Livingston.

Back in 2007, Shaun Livingston was a 21 year old rising star for the Clippers. In a single second, his career and nearly his leg were completely shattered.

He landed awkwardly after a layup and his knee buckled violently inward. It was a catastrophic knee dislocation that caused absolute destruction. He completely tore his ACL, PCL, and lateral meniscus while severely spraining his MCL.

The injury was so violent that doctors feared it severed his main artery, putting him at immediate risk of leg amputation.
Surgeons saved his leg but he had to completely relearn how to walk. Told he would never play again, Livingston spent years bouncing around the league on short contracts while battling constant swelling and joint instability.

But Shaun didn't quit.

He adapted his game by moving away from high flying athleticism to master a lethal mid range jumper. He eventually became a vital bench anchor for the Warriors and won three NBA championships before retiring on his own terms.

Going from the brink of amputation to three rings is pure grit. If you are grinding through physical therapy or fighting joint instability right now, do not lose hope. The comeback is always possible.

Since my first knee subluxation at 14, I've used a lot of products to try to help me with my issue. Some have been helpful, some have not, while some have just been mediocre. So today I'll be rating the things I have used and how they have helped (or not) with my knee subluxations.

Patella Bands (2/10)

I feel Patella Bands help with some people with more mild instability, but for me they were not enough to prevent subluxations and general feelings of unease when doing activities like wrestling, MMA, or football.

Generic Donut Shaped Gel Pad (4/10)

Although I know the generic compression gel pad has worked for some people with less severe instability, it has not worked well for me. It gave me a sense of false security and in it I had my only (and most traumatic) dislocation. So 4/10 for me.

Patella Straps? I don't even know what the third pic is to be honest (2/10)

As you can probably tell by the photo, these don't really do anything to support the kneecap. I don't know what issue it is designed for but this is one of the things that popped up when I searched "patella stabilization brace" on amazon. But yea still had some subluxations in this one.

KT Tape (6/10)

This one helped more than I thought it would. Didn't use tape that looked exactly like the photo but had my athletic trainer try tape that resembled it. Although it did give me some general feelings of stability, much like a lot of the things on this list it still wasn't enough 😂 But I do see the value in taping for more casual use. It did hurt my skin a bit tho. But overall, not too bad just not enough for me to feel comfortable in intense sports.

Physical Therapy (8/10)

This helped me a good amount and is one of the ones on here that I am continuing to use. Although I still had subluxations even after some physical therapy, it helps a lot with my knee feeling comfortable and supported. Theres nothing better than after a workout when you have a lil VMO pump and your knees are feeling good! I usually do weighted lunges, wall sits, single leg wall sits, goblet squats and split lunges.

J Pad Brace (9/10)

Ya’ll know how much I love the J pad! I was able to do all the things I love while still feeling completely secure and comfortable about my knees. Although the J pad stabilizes the knee very well, it still has some design issues (i.e too bulky, not too aesthetically pleasing, and at times very hot, hence why I give it a 9) despite that, I still found it to be one of the best things to use alongside PT. I have had a couple ideas about how the J Pad can be improved for a couple months now so I am working on designing something that will still give that security but will improve the flaws of the brace, will speak more about that in later posts so stay tuned!

Those are the things that I liked and disliked. Let me know your opinion and if anything else has worked for you!

Since my first knee subluxation at 14, I've used a lot of products to try to help me with my issue. Some have been helpful, some have not, while some have just been mediocre. So today I'll be rating the things I have used and how they have helped (or not) with my knee subluxations.

Patella Bands (2/10)

I feel Patella Bands help with some people with more mild instability, but for me they were not enough to prevent subluxations and general feelings of unease when doing activities like wrestling, MMA, or football.

Generic Donut Shaped Gel Pad (4/10)

Although I know the generic compression gel pad has worked for some people with less severe instability, it has not worked well for me. It gave me a sense of false security and in it I had my only (and most traumatic) dislocation. So 4/10 for me.

Patella Straps? I don't even know what the third pic is to be honest (2/10)

As you can probably tell by the photo, these don't really do anything to support the kneecap. I don't know what issue it is designed for but this is one of the things that popped up when I searched "patella stabilization brace" on amazon. But yea still had some subluxations in this one.

KT Tape

This one helped more than I thought it would. Didn't use tape that looked exactly like the photo but had my athletic trainer try tape that resembled it. Although it did give me some general feelings of stability, much like a lot of the things on this list it still wasn't enough 😂 But I do see the value in taping for more casual use. It did hurt my skin a bit tho. But overall, not too bad just not enough for me to feel comfortable in intense sports.

Physical Therapy (8/10)

This helped me a good amount and is one of the ones on here that I am continuing to use. Although I still had subluxations even after some physical therapy, it helps a lot with my knee feeling comfortable and supported. Theres nothing better than after a workout when you have a lil VMO pump and your knees are feeling good! I usually do weighted lunges, wall sits, single leg wall sits, goblet squats and split lunges.

J Pad Brace (9/10)

If you've been on this subreddit for awhile you know how much I love the J pad! I was able to do all the things I love while still feeling completely secure and comfortable about my knees. Although the J pad stabilizes the knee very well, it still has some design issues (i.e too bulky, not too aesthetically pleasing, and at times very hot, hence why I give it a 9) despite that, I still found it to be one of the best things to use alongside PT. I have had a couple ideas about how the J Pad can be improved for a couple months now so I am working on designing something that will still give that security but will improve the flaws of the brace, will speak more about that in later posts so stay tuned!

Those are the things that I liked and disliked. Let me know your opinion and if anything else has worked for you!

After posting a TIL about it a couple days ago, I went to a orthopedic doctor and was told I have Patella Alta too 😂 It’s crazy how after seeing so many doctors and taking many X rays and MRI’s only now I got told my imaging looked like Patella Alta. Another person in the subreddit just had the same experience, what a coincidence. Well, anyone who has this have any tips for me in terms of PT and how to manage it?

I've taped up my knees multiple times, sometimes by athletic trainers and others by myself with the help of youtube, but In my personal experience, tape has never been sufficient enough to give me confidence that my knees would stay in place. I remember having one subluxation with tape on but I feel with people who have had multiple subluxations the tape just isnt enough. Is there something I'm missing with the tape or do you all have a similar experience with it?

Unlike Patella Alta, Patella Baja is when the kneecap sits too low in its groove. This positioning compresses the joint, which leads to severe stiffness, limited ROM, and wear and tear on the knee cartilage.

Symptoms

Since the kneecap is too low there is constant pressure on the kneecap, and it makes the muscles around the knee feel extremely tight. People experience a lot of stiffness in the knee as well as joint popping or cracking.

Ways to Treat It

Since is such an interesting condition, treatment is often very complex. But it usually revolves around aggressive physical therapy that focuses on loosening the quads. Sometimes the physical therapist manually pushes the kneecap upwards to prevent scarring. Injections are also used to manage severe pain and swelling.

Surgery

-TTO
-Patellar Tendon Elongation
-Knee Arthroscopy

It’s also very interesting how this condition doesn’t cause the knee to sublux or dislocate like other malalignment conditions as it primarily damages the cartilage around the kneecap. This condition is pretty rare so it’ll be cool to see if anyone has this or knows anyone with this. See ya!

Hey everyone! Wanted to teach you all about this condition called Patella Alta. Apparently its a form of Patella Tracking Disorder where your kneecap sits too high from where it is supposed to be. Because of its position, it makes the kneecap easier to slip out of its groove. People with this problem experience recurrent subluxations and dislocations. Also, other symptoms might include pain behind the kneecap and popping and cracking when you straighten your knee.

Since it might be hard to tell if someone has this just by looking at it, an X-Ray helps doctors see where the patella is positioned. So go see a doctor if you think this might be you!

If you have Patella Alta, theres a couple ways you can treat it...
1. Strengthening the muscles around the knee (VMOs)
2. Wearing a J-Pad Brace during activity
3. TTO Surgery (if necessary)

That's all I've learned about Patella Alta. Let me know if I missed anything or any other cool info. If you have this I would love to hear your experiences! See ya!