Dislocated Knee - Any advice/experience?

Have you actually dislocated your knee, or just the patella (knee cap).

The former is much rarer, and a bit more serious. The referral doesn't automatically mean you will need surgery, just that somebody more specialised than your GP needs to make an asessment.

Either way, with the correct treatment and physio your police career should still be possible

I feel your pain as I dislocated my shoulder last year. The referral will probably mean xrays and maybe an MRI scan. I have not had any surgery but had physio which has worked wonders.

There may be no long term injury, you will just need to take a bit more care. I was really stressed for the first few weeks until the decision was made about surgery but physio seems the most common treatment - for shoulders anyway.

Rest and eat chocolate - a natural pain killer

Ouch! I can sympathise, as I am currently recovering from knee ligament surgery due to recurrent dislocations since I was about 8. It dislocated fully and did not go back in of its own accord when I was 16 and it took a couple of months to get back to normal. You may not be able to bend it for a little while, due to the trauma and swelling, but physio and ice will certainly help with that.

The ortho surgeon may decide on a conservative course of treatment, ie physio, or an operation. You may need an arthroscopy, which I had at the same time as my knee ligament surgery, which has a relatively short recovery time and can help a great deal.

But at the moment I wouldn't worry too much, until you know what is going to happen, although that is easier said than done! Take care x