This knee surgery is designed to loosen or tighten ligaments on either side of the patella (kneecap) to improve the movement of the patella in patients suffering from patellar tracking disorder.
A lateral release is the simplest and most commonly performed surgery to address patellar instability. Because the kneecap is being pulled to the outside of the knee, the lateral release cuts the knee joint capsule (retinaculum) on the outside of the knee joint.
This is a minimally invasive procedure that usually performed arthroscopically through one or two small incisions near the patella.