r/PatellarInstability

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.

I had a MPFL reconstruction and TTO (and lateral release) surgery three weeks ago on Monday June 8th. I am really struggling to cope. I feel like such a baby, it’s been three weeks and I'm already in a pit. I am in so much pain and I am uncomfortable all the time. The painkillers (Oxycodone Percocet 5 and Tylenol) do help but mostly just result in me sleeping my day away in fitful bouts. The pain is very unbearable and painful more in the afternoons and night. I can't sleep on my side which is how I sleep, tossing and turning frequently, now I have to sleep still on my back. I don't want to get up and walk around. Following my surgery I made it upstairs to my bedroom but now I am in too much pain (and too scared) to go back downstairs, so I am stuck and almost entirely dependent on my family members.
Is it normal for my inner side of my kneecap to feel numb and tingly when I touch it?

Does anyone have any advice or any words of wisdom to help me get through this? To anyone who has received the same or similar surgeries, how long did the pain last for you? Does it get better? Any tips to minimise the pain, outside of medication? Any advice to keep from spiralling? Any tips on how to sleep comfortably with a leg brace on (I can't lay on my side)? I am sleeping with my leg slightly elevated on two soft pillows, is this a good or bad idea? Is there anything I might be doing that is inadvertently making the pain worse? My first physio appointment isn't for another 2 weeks. I don't know, I am just in a rut and want to know that I am not alone. Any advice, insight or camaraderie would be greatly appreciated. Hope this was coherent.

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!

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’m 2 months post op from a TTO, HTO, MPFL Recon and Trochleoplasty. A couple days ago I discovered this small bump to the side of my scar. It’s tender to the touch and even has a redness to it. I’m thinking a screw from the TTO plate (1of 7!)may be poking out. Has anyone had this happen? Of course I will reach out to my doctor tomorrow! 2 weeks ago I had a follow up xray and all looked fine, but I think now that I’m bearing weight, it’s causing more tension and pressure there… I don’t know. I’m really hoping this is all in my head and totally normal recovery, because I don’t want to go back to surgery!