One of the most common fractures that occur is a patella fracture. It is one of the most weight-bearing areas of the body and is found in one of the most used joints, both when exercising and our day-to-day routine: the knee. Excessive use of this joint, while we do sports or due to efforts we make in our work, or simply a bad position at a certain time can cause its fracture. It entails a series of discomfort and inconvenience when performing tasks routinely.
Depending on the type of fracture suffered in the patella. You will have to proceed to surgical intervention or resort to more conservative treatment. Still, regardless of the recovery of any of these processes will be very similar. You will have to go through a physiotherapy stage and perform certain exercises to regain as much function as possible of the knee. We explain the best exercises for the fractured patella.
Best exercises for fractured patella
Activation exercises are the first to be performed to begin to regain mobility in the joint. In theory, it should start to be done when the cast is removed. But, the doctor’s or specialist’s instructions should always be followed because each case is particular.
Ankle pushups and extensions
The first exercise consists of flexing and extending the ankle. So, the gastrocnemius muscle (calves) and the hamstrings (back or rear of the thigh) will be stretched, activating the knee joint.
1. Lie on the floor on your back.
2. Next, elevate the leg with the injury.
3. Hold it that way as you alternate these two-foot movements: toes facing the face and toes facing forward.
4. Do three sets of 10 reps for each movement.
Bending the injured knee
The second exercise consists of the following:
1. Lie on the floor on your back.
2. Next, stretch the uninjured leg on the ground but bend the injured leg
3. Support the heel of the knee with the injury on the ground, sliding it back and forth.
4. Do three sets of ten movements.
It is recommended that you do these two exercises three times a day.
Strengthening the quadriceps as a kneecap rehabilitation exercise
After being in a cast for a while, it is normal for the upper leg muscles (thigh) to have atrophied. That is why it is highly recommended to perform exercises to strengthen them little by little. Their strengthening serves to prevent a new future injury to the knee, in addition to helping in the rehabilitation of it.
Contract the quadriceps
You will start from a sitting position on the floor, with your legs stretched out and placing a pillow or cushion under the injured knee.
1. Contract your quadriceps for 5 seconds and rest for 10 seconds.
2. Repeat 10 times, and two more sets will be done.
3. Back against the wall
4. Lean your back against a wall.
5. Then lower your glutes as if you were going to squat, but very slowly.
6. Lower yourself down to a 90-degree angle with the ground, as long as you don’t notice any discomfort in your knee.
7. Then go up slowly and repeat 4 more times. So we will do three sets of this exercise.
It is convenient to repeat these exercises at least every two days.
What is a patella fracture?
The patella is one of the bones that make up the knee. It is located in the anterior part of this and has a triangular and flat shape. It is one of the points of union between the tibia, one of the bones that is part of the lower leg, and the femur. It is the bone that is in the upper part of the leg and articulates to the hip.
The main functions of the patella are to facilitate flexion and extension movements of the knee. So, this joint does not become rigid and does its job. In addition, given the place where it is located (in the front part of the knee). It is the main protector of the joint against blows, which means that it is the most common fracture in this area of the body.
Types of patella fractures
There are two main types of patella fracture, depending on the cause.
1. Direct fracture: these are produced by a direct blow to the patella area.
2. Indirect fracture: These others are usually caused by a violent movement of the quadriceps on the kneecap and stress bills.
Recovery time for a kneecap tear
About treatment, it depends on the fracture. If there is no displacement of the patella, conservative treatment will usually be used in which a cast will be placed between one and two months. If the patella needs to be restored, it is necessary to resort to surgical intervention. It is important to know that in both cases, certain exercises must be performed at the time of rehabilitation to help regain lost mobility.