“Chondromalacia Patella diagnosis that may be worse?”
I have been diagnosed with Chondromalacia Patella but my doctors were unsure if that was really the true diagnosis. My condition has gotten worse and none of the nonsurgical treatments have worked. I will now be just sitting at my desk in class and I get shots of really bad pain that feels like pieces of bone are hitting my knee since I have no cartilage. I used to be able to put weight on my knee but I can no longer put weight on it comfortably anymore. My doctor gave me an MRI and X-ray but they did not see anything on those and could not tell me what those showed. I believe that I was wrongly diagnosed and I am not sure how to cope with the pain until I can see the doctor again and explore surgical treatments. Surgical treatments are probably the next step so if you have any help with that please let me know.
Female | 16 years old
Complaint duration: 8 years
Medications: Beofenac
Conditions: Chondromalacia Patella
3 Answers
Plica synovialis is common at this age and is commonly misdiagnosed. Did MRI show loss of articulations cartilage? Arthroscopic exam is justifiable.
Thanks.
Thanks.
As you are aware chondromalacia is an abnormality of the Cartlidge behind the kneecap. The list of possible causes is extensive. Before any surgery should be performed each of these should be addressed. In general it is believed that this softening of the Cartlidge is a result of either a muscular in balance or skeletal imbalance which leads to alteration in the Cartlidge overtime. It also may be a result of direct trauma damaging the Cartilage. The main form of treatment is trying to Avoid activities which caused the pain and also an extensive course of therapy under the guidance of a therapist both at home and with the therapist. If after 3 to 6 months of working diligently with therapy as well as medications and activity modification there’s no improvement than surgery may be indicated. In each case the physician will individualize your treatment and you will undergo therapy following this. Surgery may be an author scopic procedure to simply remove flaps or fragments of Cartilage or may involve elevation of the tibial tubercle all to improve alignment and remove or alter pressure. This is a very complicated problem and I would have several opinions before any surgery is performed. Good luck I hope this has been helpful.
I’m sorry, but you gave very little history. Chondromalacia does NOT mean the absence of cartilage; that would be called “arthritis.” Chondromalacia is a condition where the cartilage changes and becomes less firm and does not provide as much cushion. It usually affects the patella (kneecap), but can affect the major parts of the knee which have the job of cushioning the joint while weight- bearing. If the plain X-rays and even an MRI are “normal,” then the diagnosis of Chondromalacia patellar is not correct.
