A lateral release is a

surgical Surgery ''cheirourgikē'' (composed of χείρ, "hand", and ἔργον, "work"), via la, chirurgiae, meaning "hand work". is a medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a person to investigate or treat a pat ...

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 posi ...

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

patella The patella, 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 many tetrapods, such as 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 (; ), or thigh bone, is the proximal bone of the hindlimb in tetrapod vertebrates. The head of the femur articulates with the acetabulum in the pelvic bone forming the hip joint, while the distal part of the femur articulates with ...

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 Patellofemoral (sometimes femoropatellar) refers to relations between the patella and the femur, such as: *Knee, including the "Patellofemoral joint" *Patellofemoral pain syndrome *Medial collateral ligament The medial collateral ligament (MCL), ...

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 a principle in medical ethics and medical law, that a patient must have sufficient information and understanding before making decisions about their medical care. Pertinent information may include risks and benefits of 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