Chondromalacia/Runner's Knee

VegGirl88 · Feb 23, 2007

I had knee problems on and off for a few months, finally went to have it checked out the other day, and was told I had chondromalacia. It seems to come and go, but right now it is pretty bad. It usually doesn't hurt too much, but my knees making popping and creaking/grinding noises, and they both feel "full" and somewhat stiff at all times. I was told to do 50 straight leg lifts with ankle weights daily and take ibuprofen. 
I am only 18, and was wondering if anyone that has suffered from this can tell me whether or not I will ever feel "normal" again. I feel way too young to be having knee problems, and fear I will be stuck feeling like this for the rest of my life. =[ 
Realistically, how much of a chance is there that I will feel any better? Leg lifts seem way too simple to really help the problem. Is there anything else I can do (i.e. taking chondroitin)? Like I said, I'm not in alot of pain, I just feel uncomfortable and it makes me avoid walking much. 
I was just about to start a workout routine to lose weight when this happened. Now, I feel like I'm stuck sitting around all the time. Are there any exercises I could do safely?

zoebird · Feb 24, 2007

my husband had this around the same age. he was a competitive distance runner. today, (he's now 34) his knees are in great shape and he does run, though not the mileage that he did before. 
his process started as you are describing. doing the physical therapy. he then moved into doing that, as well as water running (wearing a vest in the pool and running in the pool). he followed this by cutting back on the running and going into weight training, working on muscle balance, particularly in his legs. he still ran, but his mileage was much lower than his usual (i think his usual was over 70 miles a week, but during this time, it was half that or less--this is after the physical therapy time). 
all of this work made his legs around his knees quite tight such that he couldn't sit in the 'japanese' style on his knees (butt on heels). he started doing yoga, and within a few months, was able to sit in the japanese style. he's still tight, but he's much more flexible than when i met him. 
today, he runs about 10-12 miles a week, after his workouts and just for fun. he occassionally runs 5k races (2-3 year). he does weights twice a week, and he does yoga twice a week. he's very balanced and healthy and has no knee problems, clicking or crunchiness in his knees. 
i would recommend that you stick with physical therapy and then move into yoga. i recommend that you get a qualified, highly trained yoga teacher who can help you specificly with your knees. there are a lot of newbie teachers out there. You want a teacher who has 
1. taken yoga in a classroom setting for more than 3 years (that is, not someone who has studied for three years at home with DVDs and books. many teachers will say "i studied for 5 years!" meaning "i read books for five years!" which is meaningless. ask where they took classes, how frequently, for how long, with whom, and in which styles. then, look these things up on the internet or talk to me about it. i can give you answers. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/smiley.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="

"> ). 
2. taken a comprehensive yoga teacher training at or over 200 hours. most of these, btw, i'm learning are garbage. a lot of teachers come out of these factory programs knowing very little--which is why having a prior practice is important. today, a person can take class for the first time on monday and sign up for teacher training on tuesday. it's ridiculous. so, ask--how long did you practice yoga in a classroom setting before starting your teacher training? you want at least a year of training before teacher training. then ask about the type of teacher training and ask if they did therapeutics for knee problems specificly. 
3. once you know their background, as if they've ever worked with someone with your specific problem or needs. if they have, then ask if you can speak to that student about their experience. if they haven't ask them how they plan on helping you--and then come and talk to me about it. i'll be able to see if they're a cracked pot or not. some teachers around here scare the crap out of me the crap they pull in class telling someone it will be good for their knees and not o ffering modifications. man, it's crazy! 
if you're really lucky, you'll get a yoga teacher who really knows his/her stuff. they're not that hard to find, but you need to know what to look for. 
and trust me, yoga is the key on this. it's absolutely the key! it works the stability and flexibility of the knee so that you have full range of motion. it's really great for this problem. heck, it's great therapeutics for any problem.

kat · Feb 24, 2007

I have a similar problem with my big toe. It's been like this for about 3 years, and I'm always aware of it, though it's never hugely painful. It does click very loudly and feel stiff. I started at the gym 3 months ago and haven't had any major problems, I just make sure to flex my toes from time to time. I'm sure at a good gym the instructor would program a routine around your knee problems. Also maybe check with your doctor before doing any exercise. 
What I have is probably completely different from you, and came from a gardening injury. The doctor said it was "trigger toe" and the only way to fix it would be steroid injection. I'm not that keen on getting that done.

Cassiel · Feb 24, 2007

I had runner's knee when I first started running, 6 years ago. All I did was rest, ice, and get my gait evaluated - based on that gait evaluation I got new shoes. It turned out that because my shoes didn't support my foot shape properly, my foot would turn inward when I ran, which put stress on my knee. Since I pay close attention to my shoes now, I've never had another knee issue (even after running 4 marathons and regularly pulling 70 mile weeks).

joyinc · Feb 24, 2007

i used to run alot and decided that it was time to start running road races... never made it to a single one cause my knees decided they didnt like the idea. 
now today, i always have problems with running, no matter how much or how little i do it. 
i tried everything, every shoe, no shoes, every excercise, chi running, pose running... nothing. 
maybe trying an excercise that has less impact? swimming, biking?

Cassiel · Feb 25, 2007

Yeah, if you want something while you're recovering (and it's probably best to take time off from running till you have your knee issue really resolved), swimming like joyinc suggested is probably your best bet. You can actually suffer from chondromalacia patella from biking (I have and know several others who have), especially if you end up biking a lot of hills, so I would save the biking till you are healed.

VegGirl88 · Feb 28, 2007

Thanks for all of the advice! 
The physical therapy seems to be helping. Once I feel my legs are strong enough, I will be moving on to yoga. 
I tried using a stationary bike a few weeks back, but it really irritated my knees. Swimming is out because I'm allergic to chlorine (weird, huh?). SO, I've started walking on a treadmill. My legs feel great afterward, so I think I'm going to stick with walking & increase my distance each day. Since I've been completely sedentary since my knee problems started, I'm hoping the increase in activity will help with weight loss - even though I'm just walking. 
Wish me luck! and thanks again to all of you!

VeggieMe · Mar 12, 2007

I hear some supplements help as well for the knees

Lgraymc · Feb 10, 2013

Chondromalacia is common in normally healthy women at any age. I know because I have it, too, didn't realize it until I was in my later 20's though.
 
If you don't do the exercises as prescribed and continue in aggressive knee activities - No - You're knees will never feel the same again.
 
I thought I was doing better because I was swimming and doing yoga, but was being lazy about doing my physical therapy exercises (I find them tedious and boring, I hate going to the gym to do weights and stuff, I'd much rather take a hike, do yoga or something rather than repetitive weights and such). Then...I bought a bike, and now my knees are suffering - this is the worst pain ever.
 
I am having to start from zero all over again and for the time being I can't even swim or do yoga! I am doing a ton of crunches and arm/shoulders/back out of boredom and not wanting to gain weight while I am less active.
 
Please, do the exercises, do the physical therapy, avoid running and biking and you'll be fine. But, I am afraid the knees will never quite be the same again, you always have to be vigilant about them.

Argosy · Oct 20, 2013

This is an old thread but I see Yoga mentioned besides weight exercises for the legs. I would think some balancing exercises could help, balance on one leg and the like as in Yoga, i.e. Cat pose, etc. Maybe someone else would know.

Chondromalacia/Runner's Knee

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