patella femoral pain syndrome

[chad777]

i have suffered from bi-lateral knee pain for the past 10 years. please check out my profile for further details. i have been enigmatically diagnosed with patella femoral pain syndrome. I say "enigmatically" because, for me, this seems like a rubber stamp diagnoses doctors give when a patient has knee pain and they dont know exactly what is causing it. most research i have done has revealed the mysterious nature of PFPS. no one seems to really no what is going on. most people say it has something to do with the misalignment of the patella on a partcular groove, this might be caused from a weakening of surrounding muscles, resulting in the pull of the patella by the stronger muscles; hence the misalignment.

my pain has gotten so bad that I have difficulty standing for more than 30 minutes. in all the research i have done, i have never read that people have trouble standing who have PFPS. most doctors recommend therapy and rest. they say symptoms should decrease after six weeks. well, i have been doing therapy and resting for the past 10 years and i have never seen any decrease in pain, only increase. i have had an mri done on my right knee and it was negative. my left knee is the one that hurts the most. i should have had it done on my left knee, and in retrospect i dont know ehy it wasnt. i do have an appt. with an ortho next week and he should be able to get me an mri fro my left. i fear that nothing will be revealed on the mri. if that is the case, what options do i have? pain meds?

i know so many of you suffer from pain, probably much worse than mine. but i am very frustrated that i am unable to walk (for the most part). for ten years i have had to refocus my entire life around this. i wanted to be a doctor, but i pused this aside because of my inability to stand for long periods. is there anyone out there who has also suffered mysterious pain in the knees? if so, what have you done? anybody in particular who has suffered from chronic patella femoral syndrome and finally found a solution? or anyone who has mysterious pain elsewhere and has found relief somehow? i am very desperate. i hope i can get some advice. i willing to try anything.

thanks

[chad777]

hey guys,

thanks for your support and advice.
on the chronic pain forum page where doctors respond i found a very helpful link for patella femoral pain: sports-injury-info.com/patella-femoral-syndrome.html
the guy's name is barton anderson. he has composed a book around 46 pages that offers unique solutions to PFPS. he clearly delineates the treatment most health care providers are giving for PFPS. and then he goes on to discuss why these are incorrect and a result of a widespread misunderstanding of PFPS. i hope his book helps. he seems to know what he is talkking about. i emailed him with a few questions and he immediately sent a very lengthy reponse with more info than i have received from most of my hospital visits combined. the book was 24 dollars and he offers a full money back guarantee for the next year. i couldnt pass it up. if it gives me relief it is worth 100 times that.

[Tuckamore]

Hi Chad,
Welcome to the Pain Management Forum. I am sorry to hear about your debilitating knee pain. I know how challenging it can be. I see Kiddthekatt has chosen to send you a PM and I'm hopeful that she was able to offer you some good suggestions.

I have bilateral chondromalacia, a bit similar to your condition. I was suppose to have  surgery a month ago but do to some circumstances I have had to postpone it.

I would suggest that you request repeat MRI's. A new set of eyes may offer other suggestions. I understand that surgery it the last resort to treat your condition but at this point you may want to consider it. If you have tried all other options without success there may be no other choices.

And yes I would request something to relieve your discomfort. Ten years is a long time to be in pain without any relief. I wish you the best at your Ortho's appointment. I hope you will check us posted on your progress.
Take Care, Tuck

[ChronicPain1]

I have a kneecap issue as well, so I fear your pain. Both of my patellas are not "straight" or aligned right, and that resulted in shredding my cartilege. I attemped a Lateral Release surgery to fix it, but it didn't help.

There are surgical options, some more severe than others.

[kiddthekatt]

  'm going to send you a private message ok. Please check in a short while.


Angel