As I continue on with my arthritis series, I am going to talk about a very common problem in women.  It is patello-femoral arthritis, also commonly referred to as anterior knee pain, chondromalacia, and patello-femoral pain syndrome.

So what is it exactly?  Well, it simply means degeneration of the cartilage lining the back of the kneecap.  Take a peek at the facets on the back of your kneecap below.

patella-facets

Typically, people with PFP experience pain along the lateral facet as it glides and tracks on the femur.  Women see this more so as they tend to have a more laterally tilted or laterally tracking patella.  As such, this is why I am against using the knee extension machine as it grinds the facet as you extend the knee.  In addition to shear forces, direct compressive force by way of prolonged kneeling, falls, and repetitive impact may damage any part of the facets.

Signs and symptoms of patello-femoral pain may include:

  • Pain in the center of the knee or behind the kneecap
  • Pain which may radiate along the inside or outisde of the knee
  • Pain with kneeling, stooping, stair descension, squatting, jumping and running
  • Pain or stiffness with prolonged sitting (desk, car or plane)
  • Grinding or “rice krispie” sounds with movement

I included another picture below demonstrating Grade IV chondromalacia (the worst degree). 

grade-iv-cmp

In the next post, I will give you a few simple exercises to safely strengthen the knee in clients who may be suffering from this type of arthritis.