Knee pain

[tacster]

I am a cheerleader and I have patella femoral syndrome and a bad case on tendonitis. After every competition and practice my knee swells up and turns purple. I have gotten x rays and nothing is wrong and i have seen 2 orthopedics. They said its one of the worst cases they have ever seen. I was just wondering if if I didn't take anytime off to rest my knee what's the worst possible thing that could happen?

[tacster]

Yes i have been going to physical therapy for the past 3 months and it has only gotten worse. So now they think i have damaged cartilage and i go for an mri soon.

[achilles2]

Have you gone to any physical therapy? I too have patella femoral syndrome. The best thing I ever did for my knee was to go to physical therapy. Look for a good manual therapist. They typically treat not just the knee but also look at how your calf and hip are affecting your knee.

Good luck,

achilles2

[Dr Vinod]

Hello!

Patella Femoral Syndrome is a very complex injury with many different causes. Treatment involves rest, ice, anti-inflammatory medications, and taping. Taping can give immediate pain relief and also helps in correcting abnormal positioning of the patella. You can continue this until proper stretching is achieved and till patella balances. Soft tissue therapy and stretching help loosen tight structures. The exact stretch depends upon which muscles are tight. Once pain has resolved then strengthening exercises can be started to prevent the condition from returning. Surgery is also an option. I would suggest you to wear proper foot wear and discuss with your orthopedician for use of braces, knee sleeves, arch supports and custom orthotics if these will help you. You can have arthritis at young age and when the joint cartilage is lost then you would need total knee replacement.

Take care!