Patellofemoral pain

Patellofemoral pain is a term used to describe pain in the front of the knee and around the kneecap or knee bone. It is sometimes called "runner's knee" or "jumper's knee" because it is common in people who participate in sports, especially women and young adults, but patellofemoral pain syndrome can also occur in people who are not athletes. The pain and stiffness it causes can make it difficult to climb stairs, kneel, and do other everyday activities.

Many aspects can contribute to the development of patellofemoral pain syndrome. Problems with kneecap alignment and overuse due to vigorous sports or training are often significant factors.

Symptoms are often relieved with conservative treatment, such as changes in activity levels or a therapeutic exercise program.

If you start from below, i.e. from the feet, the misalignment can be caused by: excessively worn shoes, sloping terrain (beach, roadside, track or grass run always in the same direction), abnormally increased pronation and structural detours or shortenings in the lower extremities.

All these causes can also be altered by a poor technique in the biomechanics of the sport involved. In addition, overtraining or poor planning can aggravate them. These alterations will cause a more pronounced patellar misalignment, pain in the knee and the aforementioned kneecap chondropathy.

Many of these causes are easily correctable. By taking a few simple steps, the pain in the kneecap, characteristic of chondropathy or chondromalacia, can be improved. A simple change of shoes, the use of insoles, improving the technique or correcting the terrain, can have an immediate and effective effect. However, if you have the kneecap pain that a patellar chondropathy would cause, it is best to have it analyzed by a traumatologist who is an expert in the subject and in the different sports involved.curves.

Patellar instability is a process that must be defined precisely from a clinical and radiological point of view. There is no general agreement on the best surgical technique to use in each case. It is essential to individualize each patient before the therapeutic decision.

The surgical technique used in our patients does not differ, in general terms, from those practiced in almost all hospitals. As in the bibliography, we have obtained good results in terms of the rate of recurrence of clinical dislocations, but not always so good in the reduction of the painful symptomatology.

Patellofemoral pain syndrome is usually completely relieved by simple measures or physical therapy. However, it may recur if you do not make adjustments to your training routine or activity level. It is essential to maintain adequate conditioning of the muscles surrounding the knee, especially the quadriceps and hamstrings.