Medial subluxation of the patella without previous lateral retinacular release

This case presented a 17-year-old patient with persistent complaints localized to the right patellofemoral joint. Clinical examination demonstrated increased medial translation of the patella on manual stress. In contrast to previous published reports on medial patellar subluxation, this patient had not undergone prior lateral retinacular release. Arthroscopic examination documented medial tracking of the patella as well as excess medial translation. Imbrication of the patient's lateral patellar retinaculum centralized patella tracking and diminished medial translation on stress testing as observed arthroscopically and clinically. This case illustrates that medial patellar subluxation is a subtle problem that may be overlooked in the patient presenting with patellofemoral complaints and should be included in the differential diagnosis.