Abstract

Patellar malalignment is one of the most common causes of knee pain in the young and must be considered in the differential diagnosis of any suspected internal derangement of the knee. At our institution from 1976 to 1980, 130 patients under the age of 25 had patellar malalignment syndrome diagnosed on the basis of clinical and radiologic findings. With quadriceps therapy, 75% of the patients became asymptomatic. In the remaining 25%, persistent symptoms or osteochondral fractures necessitated surgical intervention consisting of soft tissue patellar realignment, with 91% of operative cases becoming asymptomatic.