The patient was a 12-year-old male with a chief complaint of right anterior knee pain for the past 3 months. The patient was referred to physical therapy by an orthopaedic surgeon with a diagnosis of patellofemoral pain and bipartite patella. The patient was advised to avoid painful activities and a quadriceps-strengthening program was initiated. At the time of discharge, the patient had normal quadriceps strength and pain-free knee range of motion. Often an asymptomatic and incidental finding, bipartite patella results when secondary ossification centers do not fuse to form a single bone. Treatment typically entails rest and conservative management; however, in individuals with persistent symptoms that are not responsive to conservative measures, surgical intervention may be necessary.

J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2009;39(7):560. doi:10.2519/jospt.2009.0407

KEY WORDS: imaging, knee pain