Today I’m delighted to share another story of a patient I was able to help. Valerie was born with a deformative condition called knock knee that caused her to be prone to patellar dislocation.
Knock knee, which is also referred to as knock-knee deformity, knock-knee syndrome, knocked knee, or genu valgum, is when there is an incorrect alignment around the knee. Just like it sounds, in this condition the knees bend inward and touch one another, which places force on the outside of the knee. It causes pain and damage over time. It can affect people of all ages, but Valerie was born with this condition. She fell in her 20s and had a total patellar dislocation of her left kneecap, causing her years of instability, pain, and osteoarthritis, but no doctors would take her case.
At 45, she found HSS, me, and Dr. Fragomen. She’s had a total of six surgeries, three on each leg. On March 10, 2023, Valerie had her final hardware removal surgery. Her legs are straight for the first time in her life and I’m happy to report that she has no more pain and no more patella dislocations!