Knee dislocation
I've had left knee problems since I tore my MPFL at 14, had reconstruction surgery, but it kept subluxing. Now at 27 I'd finally started taking it seriously weight training, VMO work, hips, glutes and genuinely felt like a different person. Stairs got easier, I went back to volleyball, I felt great.
Then two weeks ago, my bf made me twirl unexpectedly at a bar and I laterally dislocated my right knee. Fell, instinctively pushed it back in myself, went straight to A&E. X-rays showed no obvious fracture, though they mentioned a possible tiny avulsion fragment near the femoral condyle they couldn't confirm without an MRI. I could bear weight and do a straight leg raise at the time.
A specialist later told me I have patella alta, laterally-resting patellae, and likely shallow trochlear grooves, probably why I could self-reduce. They advised moving as normally as possible and bending as much as I could tolerate. After two weeks of keeping it straight, I pushed to 90 degrees in one session, felt amazing but painful. Woke up the next day stiff and more swollen, now struggling to get past 30–40 degrees.
I know I probably overdid it. I know first-time dislocations rarely need surgery. But I'm posting here partly because I feel sad and isolated, and partly because I genuinely want honest advice.
Should I keep pushing ROM or back off? Is waking up more swollen a sign I've caused damage? What do I do when it flares up? Any advice from people who've been through this would mean a lot. 💙