Clinical Trials Logo

Clinical Trial Summary

There is no consensus regarding whether rehabilitation or surgical management is best for the management of a primary patellar dislocation. Consequently this prospective randomized controlled aims to compare the incidence of recurrent knee dislocations and patient reported outcomes of patients with primary patellar dislocations managed with surgery (medial patellofemoral ligament reconstruction) compared to non-operative management (a standardized rehabilitation protocol, control group).


Clinical Trial Description

Long term sequalae of first-time patellar dislocations include recurrent knee instability, osteoarthritis, and a decreased quality of life, and yet there is no consensus on the best management for these patients. Despite an increasing trend toward investigating operative vs non-operative management of primary patellar dislocations, scarce level-1 evidence exists comparing the two treatment modalities. Indeed, the few meta-analyses suggesting improved outcomes of operative treatment for first time patellar dislocations mainly utilize retrospective cohort studies. A randomized-controlled trial of 39 patients with primary patellar dislocations with a mean age of 24 (21 operative vs 18 non-operative), found decreased rates of recurrent knee instability after a mean follow up of 44 months (0% in operative vs 35% in non-operative), and a higher Kujala knee score (88.9 in operative vs 70.8 in non-operative; p=0.001). A controlled but non-randomized prospective controlled trial among 69 patients with a mean age of 18, (30 operative vs 39 non-operative), found lower rates of recurrent knee instability after a mean follow up of 24 months (0% in operative vs 20.5% in non-operative and a higher Kujala knee score (86.3 in operative group vs 80.03 in non-operative; p <0.05).The scarce randomized, prospective data investigating the appropriate management in primary patellar dislocations underscores the importance of the current study in providing high-quality evidence to the debate of how to best manage primary patellar dislocations. This study aims to compare the incidence of recurrent knee dislocations and patient reported outcomes of patients with primary patellar dislocations managed with surgery (medial patellofemoral ligament reconstruction) compared to non-operative management (a standardized rehabilitation protocol, control group). ;


Study Design


Related Conditions & MeSH terms


NCT number NCT05533671
Study type Interventional
Source Columbia University
Contact Christian A Pearsall, BS, BA
Phone 251-377-6058
Email cap2263@cumc.columbia.edu
Status Not yet recruiting
Phase N/A
Start date December 2023
Completion date September 2032

See also
  Status Clinical Trial Phase
Completed NCT03798483 - INDividualised EXercise for Kneecap Dislocations N/A
Completed NCT01059721 - Outcome After Soft Tissue Realignment of the Tibial Insertion of the Patella Tendon N/A
Recruiting NCT04958551 - Basic Research Projects Related to Sports Injuries