i have been diagnosed with chondromalacia what can i expect

[mickyboy79]

I had a mri scan on my left knee which highlighted the fact that i have chondromalacia which basically means a irritation of the cartilage under the kneecap.

i have had 2 knee operations before to remove most of my medial cartilage

Has anyone suffered from this condition before and how have they done their rehab?

[weirdknees]

Hi mickyboy

Chondromalacia is quite a complex thing to suffer from because there are many different causes.  Did the doctor say anything about the alignment of your kneecap, bad alignment is often the cause.  I have this, and i've also had part of my medical cartilage removed. 

It's not an easy thing to rehab, and doctors often don't take it too seriously.  It's best to get some physiotherapy if you can, they'd be able to find the underlying cause.  Rehab usually involves a lot of stretching and strengthening exercises, along with rest.  Try not to do any running for a while, the best exercises are swimming and low-gear cycling (as long as it doesn't aggravate it)

Hope I've helped

[crankerchick]

Chondromalacia isn't really a diagnosis, it is more like a symptom of things not tracking properly in the knee, thereby causing irritation and wear behind the patella. Like weirdknees said, there can be many different causes for the tracking issue. Taking the conservative approach is a good idea, to see if things can be gotten under control. Emphasis on strengthening of the quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves, and hip muscles is a good idea, along with stretching. You can start with isometric exercises like quad sets, straight leg raises, hamstring curls, etc and then progress to weight bearing ones like wall squats, leg press, etc as pain permits.

The stationary bike is a good tool for this endeavor. Shoot for one hour a day at your target heart rate.

[mickyboy79]

the dr hadnt really come across this condition before so referring to the notes from the mri scan she said softening of the cartilage behind the knee cap and is referring me to a surgeon or a rheumatologist  to try and give me advice on whats the best option

[tenisfan]

Maybe you should try synvesic injections I have stage 5 chrondromalacia. Had alot of trouble going up and down stairs, had the 3 injections and so far so good could not be happier.