A lateral release is a

surgical Surgery is a medical specialty that uses manual and instrumental techniques to diagnose or treat pathological conditions (e.g., trauma, disease, injury, malignancy), to alter bodily functions (e.g., malabsorption created by bariatric surgery ...

procedure to release tight capsular structures (

lateral retinaculum The lateral retinaculum is the fibrous tissue on the lateral (outer) side of the kneecap ( patella). The kneecap has both a medial (on the inner aspect) and a lateral (on the outer side) retinaculum, and these help to support the kneecap in its po ...

) on the outer aspect (lateral aspect) of the kneecap (

patella The patella (: patellae or patellas), also known as the kneecap, is a flat, rounded triangular bone which articulates with the femur (thigh bone) and covers and protects the anterior articular surface of the knee joint. The patella is found in m ...

). This is usually performed because of knee pain related to the kneecap being pulled over to the outer (lateral) side and not being able to run properly in the centre of the groove of the

femur The femur (; : femurs or femora ), or thigh bone is the only long bone, bone in the thigh — the region of the lower limb between the hip and the knee. In many quadrupeds, four-legged animals the femur is the upper bone of the hindleg. The Femo ...

bone as the knee bends and straightens. The procedure is also known as a 'lateral retinacular release'. Amongst experienced knee surgeons with a special interest in diseases of the patellofemoral articulation, isolated lateral release is rarely performed. Strong consensus was found that isolated lateral release should not be undertaken without prior planning in the form of objective clinical indications and preoperative

informed consent Informed consent is an applied ethics principle that a person must have sufficient information and understanding before making decisions about accepting risk. Pertinent information may include risks and benefits of treatments, alternative treatme ...

References

# # # # # {{cite journal , vauthors=Fithian DC, Paxton EW, Post WR, Panni AS, ((International Patellofemoral Study Group)) , title=Lateral retinacular release: a survey of the International Patellofemoral Study Group., journal=Arthroscopy , volume=20 , issue=5 , pages=463–8 , date=May 2004 , pmid=15122135 , doi=10.1016/j.arthro.2004.03.002 Orthopedic surgical procedures