Chondromalacia patella treatment

Chondromalacia patella was what put a hold on my running for a good while. It started in 2000; I was just getting ready for training for a sub 2:30 marathon. My personal best is 2:37 from 1999, at a time when I had "shingles", a type of herpes that attacks your nerv endings in your body.

My knee problem started when I increased my mileage a litte too fast during January and February. I started getting a bit of a pain on the top of the knee cap (patella). I ignored it of course, as runners often do. I ran hard on the treadmill during the winter and noticed the knee pain wasn't getting any better - it was getting worse. After weeks of getting nowhere, I decided to stop and see a specialist.

I went to a chiropractor clinic in the neighbourhood. They did a very thorough checkup, and came to the conclusion it must be chondromalacia patella and suggested I cut down on my training. The doctor described it as arthritis in the joint, and said it might be getting worse with age, now that it had started. Great, just what you want to hear!

I asked about treatment for this injury, and they ordered quad exercises to strengthen the muscles around the knee. I did this for weeks, but the patella problems didn't get any better.

I then went to the Glen Sather Clinic in Edmonton so I could hear their diagnosis. They said similar things, that the kneecap or patellae had become uneven underneath, and I should consider doing less running or try a different sport. I wasn't too impressed by these suggestions - I wanted to run!

I found my own solution - the Dual Action Knee Strap. After reading about how it works on web sites, I figured it couldn't hurt to try it. I noticed immediately a reduction in the pain/irration in the knee. I used all the time now, and have been able to pick up running again after some time of dispair and lost hope.

See Cho-Pat braces for more information. They have really good products, and the Dual Action Knee Strap was the key to my own recovery.

bed bugs symptoms

The lesson for me here has been that you should never give up. Do research, ask friends, look for websites that has information about your conditions, etc - giving up is just not an option!

Nowadays I run less than I used to, but I am a least able to run, and I plan on continuing as long as I can! During 2005, I have actually been able to increase my mileage quite a bit and my chondromalacia patella situation has improved incredibly - it has not been this good ever since my injury.