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Fractured patella - should I avoid stairs for the rest of my life?

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greg9840
greg9840

Hi everyone,

I shattered my right patella into 4 pieces around 9 months ago in a car accident (knee hit the dashboard very hard). I did not have surgery because the pieces were only mildly to moderately displaced. Overall, my knee feels a lot better. It typically doesn't hurt at all unless I am standing up after sitting or climbing up or down stairs. I was recently reading about how stairs can put tremendous force on the patella, up to 5 times your weight. I weigh 180 lbs, so 5 times 180 lbs is 900 lbs of force!

I am in the market for a house, and there are both 1 story and 2 story houses available in my area. The idea of putting 900 lbs of force on my patella going up and down stairs numerous times per day does not seem very appealing. The back of my kneecap is definitely not smooth nor in the correct shape due to healing after being displaced. I'm afraid I would potentially speed up the development of arthritis if I move into a 2 story house, so I am inclined to focus on buying a 1 story house. I would be totally happy in a 1 story house, so I really don't mind.

Am I being paranoid? Or do I have a legitimate concern about frequent stair usage over a period of many years speeding up the onset of arthritis?

Thanks!

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