The treatment of patellofemoral pain by combined rotation and elevation of the tibial tubercle.

An operation designed to achieve simultaneous decompression and realignment of the patella has been used by the senior one of us (B. J. M.) for the treatment of selected patients with patellofemoral pain since 1978. The procedure isolates the tibial tubercle as a pedicle and simultaneously rotates it medially and anteriorly. Patellar tracking is then checked intraoperatively, and no bone graft is required. This paper reports the results of the procedure in thirty-eight knees in twenty-nine patients. The minimum length of follow-up was 2.5 years. Twenty-one knees were graded as excellent; twelve, as good; and five were considered to be failures. Of the twenty-five knees that were followed for four years or more, twenty-one were rated as excellent or good and four were failures.