Knee problems :( Condramalasia patella - anyone ever heard of or had this before?

[slimgymz]

My dd was just diagnosed with condramalasia patella or, softening of the cartiledge behind the knee cap. Doc says no gym for one week and the following 2 wks no squatting at all with pt excercises and ibuprophen for inflammation. Getting fitted for a support knee brace, too. Just wondering if my dd will be able to continue with gymnastics, as I don't know if this is a recurrent type of problem that can end a gymnastics career, unlike osgood-schlatters (spelling?) which doesn't damage the knee. None of the coaches at my gym ever had to deal with this condition until now.
If anyone out there has any experience/knowledge about this injury/condition, I would appreciate your comments !! Thank you in advance !

 

[Deleted member D3987]

yep! chondromalacia patella, or CMP or patellofemoral syndrome or runners knee or jumpers knee...whew, is pretty common in humans even outside of sports. essentially, it is irritation under the kneecap (patella). in some people the kneecap rubs against one side of the knee joint and the cartilage surface gets irritated which causes pain in the knee.

my experience with this dates back a long time. seems to affect females more than males and the theories are that this is so because the anatomy of the female (Q angle) are different than those of males. duh...rest and modifying the work out help a lot. physical therapy and nonsteroidal anti-infammatories help even more. it resolves itself over time. like a lot of things in gymnastics/sports don't do it if it hurts or the pain is prolonged.

in all these years i have only known 1 gymnast that had surgery to correct the problem. a procedure called a lateral release. it worked and his problem was pretty severe. he went on to have it done in the opposite knee also. and yes...i said "he". go figure...

i just realized i didn't answer your question. no, she doesn't have to quit. and this condition can affect other joints as well. not to worry. i have not known 1 gymnast who's career was curtailed because of it.

 

[slimgymz]

Thank you !!!!

yep! chondromalacia patella, or CMP or patellofemoral syndrome or runners knee or jumpers knee...whew...

i just realized i didn't answer your question. no, she doesn't have to quit. and this condition can affect other joints as well. not to worry. i have not known 1 gymnast who's career was curtailed because of it.

Thank you so much for your quick and informative reply !!! Now I can breath a sigh of relief !!!!

 

[emandelsmom]

I have this. I'm not a gymnast, but I started having issues in my early twenties. Basically, if I do the pt shown to me and build up the muscles, then I have no problems. If I have not done them, then I get pain from anything repetitive that bends the knee and goose egg swelling. So I was told to not wear heels for hours and days, not to drive for long periods without stopping, no stairmaster, squats hurt, and just to let pain guide me. But I watch carefully and am fairly active. I hike, white water raft, walk, and jog and bike ride.

 

[slimgymz]

Thank you for responding. PT will definitely be important for strength.

. Basically, if I do the pt shown to me and build up the muscles, then I have no problems. If I have not done them, then I get pain from anything repetitive that bends the knee and goose egg swelling. So I was told to not wear heels for hours and days, not to drive for long periods without stopping, no stairmaster, squats hurt, and just to let pain guide me. But I watch carefully and am fairly active. I hike, white water raft, walk, and jog and bike ride.[/QUOTE]

 

[UnoMas]

My daughter had/has this. It flared up badly last summer, so bad that she couldn't run, tumble, or vault without pain. We took her to a sports med doc who gave her a set of 15 exercises to strengthen the muscles around the knee. She also iced the knee daily and did Motrin for a week or two. She also was told to stop any activity which caused her pain. I have to say that the exercises really helped a lot. She had another flare up in the fall and started them up again. She hasn't been doing them lately, which reminds me, I need to tell her to do them!!! She will be fine as long as you follow doctor's orders and are very persistent about the exercises especially when there are flare ups. It is definitely very annoying, and I hate that they have to be in pain, but it is manageable and also temporary.

 

[slimgymz]

Thank you.....she has 4 different excercises 2x daily many many reps each

I have to say that the exercises really helped a lot. She had another flare up in the fall and started them up again. She hasn't been doing them lately, which reminds me, I need to tell her to do them!!! She will be fine as long as you follow doctor's orders and are very persistent about the exercises especially when there are flare ups. It is definitely very annoying, and I hate that they have to be in pain, but it is manageable and also temporary.[/QUOTE]