Patient education: Chondromalacia patella (The Basics)

What is chondromalacia patella? — Chondromalacia patella is a condition that causes pain in the front of the knee. It involves the rubbery material, called the "cartilage," behind the knee cap (figure 1). The term doctors use for the knee cap is the "patella."

Chondromalacia patella describes when the cartilage behind the knee cap gets too soft or wears down. When this happens, the bones can rub together. This is what causes pain.

This condition can happen if you injure your knee. It can also happen in people who run or exercise a lot.

What are the symptoms of chondromalacia patella? — Chondromalacia patella causes pain in the front of the knee, or around or behind the knee cap.

Is there a test for chondromalacia patella? — If your doctor or nurse suspects that you have this condition, they might order an X-ray or MRI scan of your knee. An MRI scan is an imaging test that creates pictures of the inside of the body.

How is chondromalacia patella treated? — Treatment for the symptoms caused by chondromalacia patella usually involves a few different things.

The first part of treatment helps to reduce your pain. It can include:

●Resting your knee – Avoid activities or movements that make your pain worse. Try to find activities that allow you to stay active without bothering your knee. For example, you might be able to walk, swim, or use an exercise bike.

●Taking nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs ("NSAIDs") – NSAIDs are a large group of medicines that includes ibuprofen (sample brand names: Advil, Motrin) and naproxen (sample brand name: Aleve).

●Putting ice on your knee when it hurts or after activities that cause pain – You can put a cold gel pack, bag of ice, or bag of frozen vegetables on the painful area every 1 to 2 hours, for 15 minutes each time. Put a thin towel between the ice (or other cold object) and your skin.

Another part of treatment involves doing exercises to strengthen the muscles around your knee. Your doctor or nurse will show you which exercises to do, or they will have you work with a physical therapist (exercise expert). For exercises to work, you must do them exactly as instructed. It might take several weeks or longer to start to notice improvement. If the damage to the cartilage is severe, it might not heal. But strengthening your muscles can still help take pressure off of the knee joint.

Your doctor might also recommend that you:

●Wear a knee brace to support your knee.

●Tape up your knee in a certain way to support your knee.

●Wear special shoe inserts made to fit your foot (to keep your foot stable when you walk or run).

Your symptoms will most likely improve with treatment. But if they don't, your doctor might have you see a knee specialist to discuss treating your condition with surgery.

More on this topic

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