Patellofemoral instability in children and adolescents

Patellofemoral instability is a common and clinically relevant disorder of multifactorial causes. Several concomitant problems such as genua valga, hyperlaxity, injuries or sports-related overuse may contribute to the development of instability and recurrent patellar dislocations. A thorough diagnosis is of paramount importance to delineate every contributing factor. This includes radiographic modalities and advanced imaging such as magnetic resonance imaging or torsional analyses. The authors recommend non-operative management (including physiotherapy, gait and proprioceptive training, orthoses) and, whenever non-operative measures fail, surgical patellar stabilization using, e.g. MPFL reconstruction.