patallafemoral syndrome

[letsgorangers]

does anyone else have this? or any other similar kneecap problems?

my orthopedist gave me exercises to strengthen my quadriceps and this "should" fix my knee pain. i guess i will know if that's true in two weeks. i'm also wearing a brace that keeps my kneecap pushed towards the inside. anyway i just wanted to know if any of you have had an experience with this -- did exercises help? was surgery required?



jessica

 

[dcv]

I've had that or at least something similar to that... 'patellar subluxation', where your kneecap doesn't sit in the groove properly and keeps popping out sideways. Pain in the... *knee*!! This was actually after surgery though... (I'd had an arthroscopy to remove the medial synovial plica and a lump of crap (yeah that's a medical term ) from behind my kneecap).

From what I remember (it was a few years ago) it's very uncomfortable and your knee keeps literally popping with the kneecap sliding outwards. I was having physio at the time so was given a load of exercises to do to strengthen the various muscles/ligaments(/whatever those bits are called) and had to also tape the knee joint so as to pull the patella back into alignment. I guess that's a similar idea to your brace. Make sure you keep wearing it and follow the prescribed exercises. A topical anti-inflammatory or even an ice-pack can help soothe the pain and swelling.

Hope you see some improvement soon.

 

[Phat Elvis]

The exercises work. It's just a matter of strengthening the supporting muscles. Try to see if there is any daily activity that you do (like how you sit or drive) that may be aggravating it.

Good luck.

 

[Chundles]

I tell you what will help - doing exactly what the doctor tells you. No matter how frustrated you feel, the doctor knows better than you and what he/she says to do is what you should do - right down to the letter.

My father snapped the tendon that attaches to the patella at the base - this meant the tendon at the top contracted and his knee-cap was suddenly half way up his thigh. He did what he was supposed to do but got a little too adventurous one day hopping around and fell, snapping it again and requiring a more complicated surgery and doubling his recovery time.

Do what your Doc says.

 

[letsgorangers]

i am doing exactly what the doctor has told me to do. i was just curious to see what experiences other people have had.

6 months ago i fell off a bike and hit the concrete knee first and i think that is what may have aggravated this.

i definitely can't afford surgery, nor do i have the time to recover from it (graduate school!). so i know the best advice is to listen to my doctor.

thanks for your thoughts and experiences, guys (and lady).

 

[devilot]

*raises hand*

Another kneecaps-don't-stay-where-they-ought person (heh, mine squeak and creak, literally). I think I was diagnosed w/ something to the effect of chrondro-malaisia patella?! I dunno, this was around 7 years ago.

I did physical therapy; similar objectives: strengthen quads, but one of the greater issues was my hip-flexor muscles are too tight. They need to be stretched out/more flexible because that tends to pull the kneecaps outward as well.

But since then, I've read different magazines and articles saying the whole regimen of strengthening the quads isn't really a fix, a temporary fix (that lasts longer than an ibuprofen) but could potentially cause more issues in the future. *shrug*

 

[andiwm2003]

do the exercises. they really help. get a membership in a gym or buy a machine for at home. keep doing them and you should be fine. i have the problem, my brother had it, many of my friends had it. they are all fine as long as they keep up strenghtening their quadrizeps.

btw: use hiking poles for long hikes with a backpack.

 

[eva01]

I had something along those lines and had a lateral release due to my patella being tipped at a 45 degree angle.

 

[letsgorangers]

they are all fine as long as they keep up strenghtening their quadrizeps.

this unfortunately makes me think that devilot is right about this being a temporary fix. it doesn't seem right that you'd have to do quadricep stregthening on a daily basis to keep knee pain away?

 

[Phat Elvis]

Bad habits, bad shoes, bad posture - all things that lead to unbalanced muscle development. At least for me doing the exercises helped and I was able to identify some bad habits that I could change.

 

[xsedrinam]

does anyone else have this? or any other similar kneecap problems?......anyway i just wanted to know if any of you have had an experience with this -- did exercises help? was surgery required?

I can highly recommend the quad build up regimen for knee stability. (Another thread for story) but I injured my right knee on a run some 6 weeks before a marathon. I went to the gym and used weights (leg lifts for quad buildup, etc.) for that duration of time, and six weeks later was able to run the race and finish in good shape.