My 16 yr. old son injured his knee playing dodgeball trampoline. MRI shows a fractured patella with one larger bone fragment displaced measuring 1.8 cm x 7 mm with articular cartilage attached, along with a smaller bone fragment, displaced, also containing a portion of the articular cartilage. There is a large amount of joint effusion and a moderate amount of debris . However the ligaments seem to be intact. The orthopedic doctor has scheduled surgery for Feb. 13th which is a full month after the injury. I am concerned that waiting that long after the injury to do surgery will be a mistake. I believe that we have been stalled from the beginning because of referral authorizations needed because of the crappy HMO insurance we have. I would like to know if waiting a full month (vs. having surgery sooner) is a mistake or if I should push to have the surgery date sooner than that. Also, my son believes that he should be allowed to walk, drive, etc. right now (and up until the surgery date) without restriction (he currently wears a hinged brace and uses a cane). I think too much walking-type of pressure on the injured knee could be a mistake. The doctor says that he should do stretching exercises but I think that is very different than putting weight on that leg. My son and I disagree.