Patella (Knee) dislocation- still in pain 3 1/2 weeks after...?

i slipped on some ice a little more than 3 weeks ago and dislocated my patella ( knee). it was dislocated for about an hour or so before i got to an emergency room and had it set back to place.
it still hurts a lot if i try to bend it too far and there is a lot of bruising especially on the back of my calf and on the inner side of my ankle. I still can't bend my knee all the way back. I have a trip to the Dominican Republic in about a week and a half. do you think there is a serious problem with my patella? or is it just trying to heal itself? should i go see a doctor about it? i don't want to miss my trip.

p.s. this isn't the first time i've dislocated it... it's the 3rd.

an injury like this could take a while to heal, or it can heal very quickly. it all depends. but i would go to an orthopedist (not back to the emergency room) to make sure it's doing fine. urgent care and emergency room's aren't specialists, and they can't always see what a trained specialist can. they'll even miss a fraccture in an x-ray at one of those places. so just hit up your orthopedist, make sure everything's going alright.

you should probably get it looked at... i'm a dancer and a few years ago i popped my knee out of the socket and had to get it popped back in as well... i was on crutches and after a few days it "healed" but i was still in extreme pain and couldn't walk up the stairs in my house. i went back to the doctor and she told me that i had strained all of the ligaments in the knee AND tore a small piece of my ACL.. i had to have surgery and hardcore physical therapy. so i definitely suggest at least getting it checked out-- you never know && something could be seriously wrong that you don't want to further aggravate! good luck.

Yes, go see a doctor about the injury. ER docs do the bare minimum to keep you safe and get you on your way - they just don't have the time that your family physician has. All ER docs usually recommend a follow-up with your regular doctor or a specialist - I'm sure it is in your release papers.

The injury doesn't sound serious, but it is hard to say without further info. and tests & measurements. Plus, you need to rehabilitate correctly after a patella dislocation. I would recommend Physical Therapy (PT) - especially since it keeps happening and because your are going on vacation soon. You not only want to be healed and pain-free so you can enjoy yourself, but you also need to be strong & stable so you do not re-injure yourself. Eventually, the instability in your knee could lead to injuries to other joints. There are many easy exercises that you can do to strengthen the area. Tell the doc and seriously consider PT (they will work with you for your vaca).