Knee Pain Causes, Conditions and Treatments
Evan Glatzer
New York, NY · Published by HSS, November 2020
Evan Glatzer’s story, in their own words
In the fall of 2015 while playing on my school’s 7th grade soccer team, I dislocated my right kneecap. When I looked down and saw the kneecap on the side of my leg, I pushed it back with my hand hoping that it was nothing, but the damage was already done. I had torn my medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL). As a competitive and aspiring basketball player, I was told that I could try rehab and strengthen the muscles around my knee and play on, but if I dislocated it again, I would definitely need surgery if I wanted to continue to be an athlete. I rehabbed for 9 months, got back on the court, and within several weeks I dislocated it again coming down for a rebound.
Game over! My hopes for avoiding surgery were crushed and my dreams of playing high school and college basketball were dashed. I had MPFL replacement surgery with Dr. Daniel Green in April 2016 using an autograft. Dr. Green was great and guided me through the surgery, post-op, and rehab, always expressing tremendous confidence that the surgery went well and that I would make a full recovery. After another 9 long months of rehab, I was cleared for “return to play” and got back to the courts to pursue my dreams.
I write this in November 2020, hoping to have my senior basketball season, but the COVID pandemic has put that on hold. However, I have started on my high school basketball team since 9th grade, scored my 1000th point in the middle of my junior year, and my team won the New York State championship last year. In addition, I recently committed to play basketball collegiately next Fall. So for those of you facing a similar injury and wondering whether you can get back to playing sports at a high level, I am living proof that it is absolutely possible! Thank you Dr. Green and HSS!
Published by the Hospital for Special Surgery in its Back in the Game archive in November 2020, and reproduced here in full. Read it on hss.edu
- Sport or activity
- Soccer, Basketball
- Treating surgeon
- Dr. Daniel W. Green
Dr. Green’s published research on the patella
The 6 most recent of his 64 papers on the patella, indexed on PubMed under his Hospital for Special Surgery affiliation. Each opens on PubMed.
All 64 of his papers on this subject- Extreme trochlear morphology in pediatric patients with fixed lateral patellar dislocation: a radiographic study The Knee · 2026 Oct · Dr. Green is author 7 of 7
- Patella Alta and Trochlear Dysplasia as a Determinant of Patellar Tendon Lateralization and Inclination: A Cross-sectional MRI Study in Adolescents With Patellofemoral Instability The American journal of sports medicine · 2026 Sep 9 · Dr. Green is author 8 of 8
- Pediatric Patellofemoral Instability Surgery-Current Concepts Sports medicine and arthroscopy review · 2026 Sep 1 · Dr. Green is author 3 of 3
- Internal versus external femorotibial rotation an anterior cruciate ligament rupture and patellofemoral instability on preoperative standing radiographs The Knee · 2026 Aug 27 · Dr. Green is author 14 of 14
- Medial patellotibial ligament reconstruction concomitant with medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) reconstruction in fixed and obligatory patellar dislocation: A consecutive case series Journal of ISAKOS : joint disorders & orthopaedic sports medicine · 2026 Aug · Dr. Green is author 9 of 9
- Validation of the ACL Return to Sport after Injury (ACL-RSI) Scale in Pediatric and Adolescent Patients After Medial Patellofemoral Ligament Reconstruction Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine · 2026 May · Dr. Green is author 10 of 11
More patients Dr. Green has treated
Knee Pain Causes, Conditions and Treatments Madison Cermeli New York, NY 
Knee Pain Causes, Conditions and Treatments Aiden Warshawer Middletown, NJ 
ACL Tear (Torn ACL) Elle Manley Belle Harbor, NY 
ACL Tear (Torn ACL) Luke Bower Raleigh, NC 
Kneecap Pain and Injury Ryann Redmond Floral Park, NY