Mechanism of the Injury (cause)  Fall or hit on to knee cap

Sign & Symptoms  Pain  Swelling over the knee  Inability to walk  Inability to raise the leg straight

Treatment  Patients with non-displaced, or minimally displaced, fractures who can perform a straight leg raise can usually be treated without surgery. A long leg cast or a knee immobilizer can be used for treatment of these types of patellar fractures.

Treatment  When surgery is necessary, an incision is made over the front of the knee joint. The fractured ends are realigned and held in place with some combination of pins, screws, and wires. In some cases, a portion of the patella can simply be removed, but this is usually done for smaller fracture fragments.