Massage therapy · Kitchener–WaterlooPatellar Fracture

The kneecap acts as a shield for the knee joint, which makes it vulnerable to breaking if you fall directly onto your knee or take a hard blow to it (AAOS, n.d.). Falling down onto the knee is one of the most common causes. These fractures are serious and can make it difficult or even impossible to straighten your knee or walk. Some simple fractures heal in a cast or splint, but in most patellar fractures the pieces of bone move out of place, and surgery is needed (AAOS, n.d.). Over the long term, you might develop arthritis in the affected knee.

Warning signs: if you have a fall or blow to the kneecap and then cannot straighten your knee, cannot stand or walk, or bone is showing through the skin or there is a wound over the knee, call 911 or go to the emergency room at your nearest hospital. Open fractures, where the skin is broken, need urgent treatment to prevent infection (AAOS, n.d.).

Patellar Fracture Anatomy

The patella is a small bone located at the front of the knee, where the thigh bone and shin bone meet. It protects the knee and connects the muscles at the front of the thigh to the shin bone (tibia). Articular cartilage covers the underside of the patella and the end of the thigh bone, to help them glide smoothly along one another as the leg moves (AAOS, n.d.).

How to Treat a Patellar Fracture

Treatments you may want to discuss with your family doctor, nurse practitioner or medical team

Tips

• Changes in your lifestyle might have to be made to help protect the knee.
• Take extra care to avoid falls while your knee is healing, especially if you feel unsteady on your feet.
• Avoid exercise involving repeated knee bending or squats until your medical team tells you the patella has healed.
• Some people have permanent weakness of the thigh muscles after a patellar fracture (AAOS, n.d.), so you may want to take part in a strengthening programme with a physical therapist. I can also guide you through one once your medical team agrees (see the My Approach tab).
• Patellar fractures can damage the cartilage, which can lead to arthritis later in life (AAOS, n.d.). Try to do everything you can to keep your bones strong and joints flexible.

After a kneecap fracture, the bone needs protecting while it heals, but a knee held straight for weeks gets stiff and the thigh muscles weaken. Your fracture clinic or surgeon decides how long you're in a splint or cast, how much weight you can put through the leg and when the knee may bend. I work inside those limits and need your medical team's okay before any hands-on treatment.

Please bring any X-ray or scan reports and notes from your medical team to your first visit. They're an important part of planning safe treatment for you.

In the Splint or Cast

• Easing your hips, back and other leg, and your shoulders and arms if you're on crutches
• Gentle lymphatic drainage above the knee for swelling, and raising the leg at home
• Hip, ankle and toe exercises, and thigh tightening if your team allows it

Out of the Splint

1. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) (n.d.) Patellar (kneecap) fractures. OrthoInfo. Available at: https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/diseases--conditions/patellar-kneecap-fractures/ (Accessed: 7 October 2026).
2. East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust (2025) Undisplaced patella fracture: shared care plan. Patient information leaflet. Available at: https://www.esht.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/2073.pdf (Accessed: 7 October 2026).