Patellar (Kneecap) Subluxation Rehabilitation Exercises

You may do all of these exercises right away. It is important to stretch the muscles in the back of your leg. It is also important to strengthen the muscles on the top of your thigh so your kneecap won't sublux again.

• Standing hamstring stretch: Place the heel of your leg on a stool about 15 inches high. Keep your knee straight. Lean forward, bending at the hips until you feel a mild stretch in the back of your thigh. Make sure you do not roll your shoulders and bend at the waist when doing this or you will stretch your lower back instead. Hold the stretch for 15 to 30 seconds. Repeat 3 times.
• Quadriceps stretch: Stand an arm's length away from the wall, facing straight ahead. Brace yourself by keeping the hand on the uninjured side against the wall. With your other hand, grasp the ankle of the injured leg and pull your heel toward your buttocks. Don't arch or twist your back and keep your knees together. Hold this stretch for 15 to 30 seconds. Repeat 3 times.
• Side-lying leg lift: Lying on your uninjured side, tighten the front thigh muscles on your injured leg and lift that leg 8 to 10 inches away from the other leg. Keep the leg straight. Do 3 sets of 10.
• Quadriceps isometrics: Sitting on the floor with your injured leg straight and your other leg bent, press the back of your knee into the floor by tightening the muscles on the top of your thigh. Hold this position 10 seconds. Relax. Do 3 sets of 10.
• Straight leg raise: Lie on your back with your legs straight out in front of you. Tighten up the top of your thigh muscle on the injured leg and lift that leg about 8 inches off the floor, keeping the thigh muscle tight throughout. Slowly lower your leg back down to the floor. Do 3 sets of 10.
• Step-up: Stand with the foot of your injured leg on a support (like a block of wood) 3 to 5 inches high. Keep your other foot flat on the floor. Shift your weight onto the injured leg and straighten the knee as the uninjured leg comes off the floor. Lower your uninjured leg to the floor slowly. Do 3 sets of 10.
• Wall squat with a ball: Stand with your back, shoulders, and head against a wall and look straight ahead. Keep your shoulders relaxed and your feet 2 feet away from the wall and a shoulder's width apart. Place a soccer or basketball-sized ball behind your back. Keeping your head against the wall, slowly squat down to a 45 degree angle. Your thighs will not yet be parallel to the floor. Hold this postioin for 10 seconds and then slowly slide back up the wall. Repeat 10 times. Build up to 3 sets of 10.
• Knee stabilization: Wrap a piece of elastic tubing around the ankle of your uninjured leg. Tie the tubing to a table or other fixed object.
  1. Stand on your injured leg facing the table and bend your knee slightly, keeping your thigh muscles tight. While maintaining this position, move your uninjured leg straight back behind you. Do 3 sets of 10.
  2. Turn 90° so your injured leg is closest to the table. Move your uninjured leg away from your body. Do 3 sets of 10.
  3. Turn 90° again so your back is to the table. Move your uninjured leg straight out in front of you. Do 3 sets of 10.
  4. Turn your body 90° again so your uninjured leg is closest to the table. Move your uninjured leg across your body. Do 3 sets of 10.

  Hold onto a chair if you need help balancing. This exercise can be made even more challenging by standing on a pillow while you move your uninjured leg.

• Resisted knee extension: Make a loop from a piece of elastic tubing by tying it around the leg of a table or other fixed object. Step into the loop so the tubing is around the back of your injured leg. Lift your uninjured foot off the ground. Hold onto a chair for balance, if needed.
  1. Bend your knee about 45 degrees.
  2. Slowly straighten your leg, keeping your thigh muscle tight as you do this.

  Do this 10 times. Do 3 sets. An easier way to do this is to perform this exercise while standing on both legs.

• Standing calf stretch: Facing a wall, put your hands against the wall at about eye level. Keep the injured leg back, the uninjured leg forward, and the heel of your injured leg on the floor. Turn your injured foot slightly inward (as if you were pigeon-toed) as you slowly lean into the wall until you feel a stretch in the back of your calf. Hold for 15 to 30 seconds. Repeat 3 times. Do this exercise several times each day.