Patellar Chondromalacia – How to Help Yourself?

What exactly is patellar chondromalacia?

Patellar chondromalacia refers to a softening of the cartilage that progresses in stages. It most often affects athletes, recreational athletes who suddenly increase the intensity of their activity, and people who have had a traumatic knee injury.

Patellar chondromalacia is most often characterised by pain and a feeling of giving way in the knee. Chondromalacia develops gradually as a result of continuous wear of the knee cartilage.

STAGES OF CARTILAGE DAMAGE:

Patellar chondromalacia has 4 stages, from the first, in which the cartilage is only slightly damaged and pain occurs with certain movements, to the fourth, in which the bone is completely exposed, with swelling and constant pain accompanied by a creaking sound from the knee with every movement.

HOW CHONDROMALACIA DEVELOPS:

Chondromalacia is often associated with repetitive stress on the joints, overload or injuries.

The most common symptom is knee pain or a vague discomfort that gets worse with activity or prolonged sitting. It often causes generalised knee pain without swelling, especially when going up or down stairs.

Some clients also have a feeling of “tension” in the knee. If the symptoms of chronic inflammation are ignored, atrophy of the quadriceps muscle and swelling of the knee may also occur.

THERAPY:

Therapy is tailored individually to the client and their current condition, and it is important to work on stretching and strengthening all the thigh muscles so that they are ready to take on a greater load, which reduces stress on the cartilage.

In addition to kinesiotherapy and targeted exercises, a combination of various manual techniques, electrotherapy and various high-tech devices is used.