Knee injury very concerned need help please!!!?

so i popped my patella in my left knee.. i was giving a mobilizar brace and cruthes to get around.. then i had a follow up appt w/ an ortho. who upgraded me to a patella brace to push the knee in and 6 weeks physical therapy to see if this helps. if this doesnt work then i will have to have surgery.. but my concern is say the therapy does help whats to say this will not happen again and how can i prevent more damage to the knee??.. the doc said the grooves which my knee sits on is not deep enough so its causes the knee to pull out.. i am big women 25yrs old with past history of knee injury to my r knee 10-12 yrs back.. i was suppost to have surgery on that knee but i was to scared and now im tring to do all i can to make things better(losing weight) because it still comes out once in a while(r knee) and i was told ive torn all ligaments inthe right knee and surgery is my best bet.. and i have been using a cane as well as the brace to get around but im getting pain in my foot .......

This questions has two sides to it's answers. First off, medically speaking, once your knee cap pops out of place, it is tens of times more likely to pop out again. The surgery will reduce the odds, but it is still more likely to pop out than before regardless.

Next, rehab is a huge solution. Again, it wont completely prevent it, but it will lessen your odds if done correctly. The strength of your quads (and specific parts of your quads - your rehab provider will address this in his/her program) has a ton to do with the control of your patella.

When it comes to the surgical procedure, it is relatively light. There are usually three approaches, and any of these three can be used in combo. 1) make the patella's groove deeper, 2) Adjust the ligaments that hold the patella in place, 3) disconnect and reattach the patellar tendon in the lower leg. Following these 3 steps (or combo thereto), another course of rehab will follow.

The plus side to a dislocating patella (if there is a plus side), each time that it pops out, even though it makes it easier to pop out in the future, it also makes it easier to pop back in. Most people who deal with this problem chronically are able to relocate their patella on their own without seeing a doctor each time (although, for medical reasons, I can't suggest that).

Anyways... good luck. If you have more questions along these lines, feel free to point'em at me. :)

You need to get over this fear of surgery.

In short, the doctors know what they are doing, and your alternative is a few years of pain in this knee, followed by a really serious incident that results in emergency surgery to repair, unless it is too late by then and the surgery leaves you short one leg below the knee.

Don't be afraid of the surgery. Be afraid of what happens without the surgery.