Greeneyez-
Chodromalcia is softening of the cartilage on the back of the kneecap- some doctor use it for any kneecap pain as a diagnosis but it can only actually be diagnosed officially by visualization during a surgery or on some MRI's. Just about everyone over 30-35 has it to some degree and most people have no symptoms with it. A lot of kneecap problems are from the kneecap not tracking properly- most cases respond to doing physical therapy exercises and other conservative treatments- shoe inserts, medication, taping, bracing, activity modification- about 85% do well with those types of treatment. I was in the 15% that needed surgical intervention as a teenager and had to have my kneecaps basically taken off and reattached- the patella tendon was moved over with a peice of bone, other mussles shorten while others were legthened on both of my knees. My left knee never was right after that- I had so many problems but none of my doctors took me seriously- they blamed it all my weight. Looking back now I know I gained weight becuase I was not active because of my knee and the anti-imflamatories have a strange reaction with me too that I tend to gain well I am on them- if I diet while taking them I can mantain but if I stop I gain weight. Of course it took my 12 years to figure this out though now due to stomach ulcers they caused I will never be on them long term again. My right knee is pretty good htough it also has had extensive surgeries and I have to continue to do exercises. My left knee is pretty much shot- I fall in the less then 1% of cases that no treatment will help with.
With my left knee come to find out I had ruptured one of the muscles the surgeon had shortened- this was discovered until I had surgery 12 years later- lucky for me I had been referred to the top surgeon in the world for kneecap problems. A few surgeries later and I still have a lot of pain- both from severe arthritis of the kneecap and residual damage to the muscle that had been ruptured. So at the age of 29 I get to look forward to using a cane for the rest of my life, taking pain medication, using whatever herbal meds I can to help with the arthritis/joint pain and figuring out how I am going to do all the things I should be enjoying at this point in my life. As far as exercise I am pretty limited. I have set up an upper body cycle so I have something I can do all the time. I am allowed to use a Nordic Track but I broke my foot so I have to wait a few weeks to try it. I can also use an elliptical trainer some- I have ot limit it to a few times per month along with the pool- I went yesterday and I am still having partial kneecap dislocation when I try to kick. I have also been told to limit my time on my exercise bike- every time I peddle around I have more pain so I never can get enough of a work out on it to make it worth my time.
A great site for knee problems on line is
www.kneeguru.co.uk -they have a lot of information and a great forum with a lot of different types of people with all sorts of knee problems from all over the world. You might want to check it out some time.
I am still doing WW at home- with having had 3 surgeries, 2 broken feet and working on my PhD I do not have the time or the money to go to meeting for the past 1 1/2 years. I do meet with a nutritionist at the university from time to time to just keep myself in check. I have lost about 40-45 pounds in the last year or so- pretty good considering all the time I have been laid up. I do take some supplements that I have found to help- Glucosamin & Chondrotin, evening primrose oil, calcium with Vit D & Magnesium. I have just added SAM-e to see if I notice a difference with it. I am also on long term pain management medication just to walk- otherwise I would not even be able to walk more then in my house. I do still do formal physical therapy and am diligent about doing my home exercises. I also use a TENS unit a few times per week, use ice 2-3 times per day, and an homeopathic ointment on it along with limiting my activities (avoid stairs, no squating, kneeling, crawling, desk work only, etc) and using a single fore arm crutch for walking (though right now I am on crutches until my foot heals- I broke when I fell from a partial kneecap dislocation a few weeks ago- I have several partial dislocation per day though I usually do not fall when I have one thankfully).
I agree that losing weight is good for our overall health but since I have so little damage to the rest of my knee joint my knees have not taken much abuse from my weight surprisingly. It is important to stay as healthy as possible as we lose our weight and make sure the exercises we choice are apropriate for our individual knees.
Christine
Knee Problems
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