Making up...

Well i've been told that i'm to write more... So i'm going to attempt to write. Yes, i have absolutely nothing interesting to say at the moment, but hey - when you've been told to write, you write!

Hmm, what to write about. Actually, i do have something that i need to learn about (more) and that some people may gain from reading about *cough* None of these seem to be medical sources, but putting them all together you kind of get the drift....

Chrondomalacia patella

The changes in female body shape during the growth spurt has its particular injury risks. The hips widen, placing the femur at a greater inward angle. During running or walking, this increased femur angle leads to greater inward rotation at the knee and foot. This rotation can result in an injury called chrondomalacia patella, which occurs when the knee-cap does not run smoothly over the knee joint and pain is caused at the front of the knee. Appropriate preventive training to avoid chrondomalacia patella would be to strengthen the vastus medialis muscle, the lower abdominals, obliques (side of stomach), hip abductor and hip external rotator muscles.

http://www.brianmac.demon.co.uk/children.htm

The technical term for runner's knee is chrondomalacia, and it's caused by a softening or wearing of the cartilage of the kneecap, or alignment problems that prevent the kneecap from moving smoothly. Downhill running or excessive knee bending can aggravate the injury further and add to the pain, which is usually in the center of the knee.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/2003-02-20-ten-hardest-marathon-injuries_x.htm

This disease is also known as softening of the cartilage of your knee cap or "anterior knee pain". This is a big medical word for a condition where the shiny cartilage surface of your patella (knee cap) is softened due to many factors including abnormal pressure across the joint surface or hormonal changes in your body.

This pain is usually located over the front of your knee and is described as a deep aching pain. It is sometimes associated with swelling and is usually worse when your knee is bent for long periods of time such sitting in a car or bus. The pain is also worse with such activities as squatting, kneeling or stair climbing (either up or down stairs). The pain is sometimes improved with rest and the use of pain medication.

It is sometimes associated with mild or moderate swelling of the knee and some people report a grinding feeling in their kneecap. It is more common in younger females especially after a growth spurt where the knee must carry more weight.

Many times this problem can be due to "excess lateral pressure syndrome" - that is, the kneecap tends to sit too far out to the side of the knee. Usually, this problem is related to how one's bones are shaped and determined by genetics. In this case, the kneecap is most tender when pushing on its outside ("lateral") surface.

It is usually pretty simple to diagnose chondromalacia. Mostly it is diagnosed based on your complaints. On physical examination, your doctor may push back on your kneecap - that often causes pain in people with this problem. The physician may also move your kneecap from side-to-side - if the patella does not move easily inwards (toward the other knee), the knee is described as having "lateral tightness", which is indicative of excess lateral pressure syndrome.

DON'T DO these if you have chondromalacia:
Keep your knee bent for long durations.
Kneel on your knees
Walk up and down stairs/hills unnecessarily

DO these:
Try to sleep with your legs out straight at night instead of curling up into a ball.

http://www.jointhealing.com/pages/knee/chondromalacia.html


Well there you go... I'm actually really nervous about going and getting it checked, i was told i had it in either 2001/2 and i've been hoping it'll go away, but seeing it hasn't and my other knee is starting to go... *sigh* Just hope i don't have to have the operations...