Patient Story · Video
A genetic predisposition to dislocate — back on the ice with bilateral MPFL reconstruction.
Travel and high school hockey player Liam has a genetic condition that makes his kneecap dislocate more easily than most. After bilateral MPFL reconstruction with Dr. Sabrina Strickland, both knees feel perfect — and he's preparing for junior tryouts and a college hockey scholarship.
Watch Liam's story
Transcript
In Liam's words
From a slap shot in 2019 — to two MPFL reconstructions and a hockey future.
My name is Liam. I play hockey, both travel and for high school. I have a genetic condition where my kneecap will dislocate much easier than a person without this condition.
One time in my hockey game in December of 2019 I was playing, I was taking a — I was going for a slap shot — when all of a sudden I felt an intense pain in my left knee. I could not bend it. I couldn't move it. Every time I would move my leg it would be extreme pain.
When I came here for Dr. Strickland's office, I walked in and she immediately looked at my results on the MRI. It was clear to me — and I think it was clear to Liam — that he couldn't keep skating the way he was. Ultimately we did an MPFL reconstruction and everything went great. Literally starting at about eight weeks after surgery we started getting emails from Liam and his mom: "When can I skate? When can I skate?" And so we had to keep holding him back so that he would have a good result, because it takes a long time to regain your full strength. And the tendon, which is what an MPFL starts out as, has to turn into a ligament — and that maturation process takes a while.
So he was back, he was playing hockey, everything was great until he dislocated his contralateral — his other patella. And luckily at this point he was a professional. He was a professional knee instability patient.
“Surgery was very nerve-wracking as a 15 year old. Not many kids my age have had knee surgeries or any sort of surgery.” — Liam
And it had felt like an eternity getting back on the ice. But all through physical therapy you learn that it takes time, that the recovery is not a joke, you need to take it seriously, and that if you recover well, you'll have no more problems.
So I'm about a year out of surgery of my right knee surgery right now. Both of my knees are feeling perfect. I've had absolutely no problems with them after the surgery, and I feel stronger than I was going into the surgeries. I also feel more confident in both of my knees that I feel that they won't give out. And this summer I'm really looking forward to tryouts for juniors teams that will hopefully help me get a Division I or Division III scholarship for college and hockey.
Dr. Strickland and her team — the moment I got here, I knew that they knew what they were doing and they were experts in this field. Dr. Strickland was extremely confident in her work. She knew that she was the best and she proved it to me.
About the procedure Liam had
MPFL Reconstruction (Medial Patellofemoral Ligament). The MPFL is the primary medial soft-tissue restraint that prevents the kneecap from sliding laterally. After a patellar dislocation it is almost always torn, and patients with anatomical risk factors — like Liam's genetic predisposition — frequently re-dislocate without it. MPFL reconstruction uses a hamstring or quadriceps tendon graft to rebuild the ligament, restoring stability. Recovery is typically 4–6 months, and the new graft needs that time to mature into ligament tissue strong enough for high-level sport. More on MPFL reconstruction surgery →
For broader patellar instability evaluation including the five anatomical risk factors that drive recurrent dislocation, see patellar instability.
Read more patient stories
Liam's story is one of many. Hear from more of Dr. Strickland's patients in their own words about how they got back to the lives they love.
