Patella Chondromalacia syndrome

darmitage

hi everyone I just joined this forum but I am torn to pieces and worried about my knee, my knee spec. said there is nothing he can do, my knee feels like artheritis I am worried I will have to give up the stationary bike but I get pain from walking and bike especially the next day, I walk briskly for a hour and half hour on bike for 30 minutes, am I wearing down my knee on the bike? or should I keep it up? is walking harder on your knee then medium tension on the bike, please reply I need help

MLMercer

I have been living with Chondromalacia of the patella for about 6 years – only been cycling regularly for about 1 + ½ years.



In my experience walking is much worse as far as pain during and afterwards compared to cycling. I still have pain sometimes while I am riding - it pretty much always aches after a ride but nowhere near what I would have for the same time spent walking.
Try for as little impact as possible. The more impact the more wear. Swimming and cycling are good exercises for people like us as there is little or no impact in the joint.


As far as not being able to do anything - I would get a second opinion - even if they just go in (Arthroscopically) and clean it out and make it smooth again you could get some significant relief ... less grinding = less pain/ache.



Hope this helps


MM

darmitage

I do the stationary bike and I am talking about medium tension not killing myself but getting a good workout but I find riding the bike with no tension I am just wasting my time I don,t even sweat but does this wear down my joint? just wondering about hockey players and baseball players riding the bike when they are injured, please reply

2zanzibar

OK the first thing you need to do is check your saddle height. This is the most important thing. If its painfull then raise the seat 5mm then do a work out. Still painfull? then 5mm again untill the pain decreases. IF you get to the point where the seat is so high that you start rocking your hips to reach the pedals then you've gone to high. Preferably get to a point where you are 5mm before this stage.

Hockey and baseball players will be using the stationary bike for completely different knee rehab programs (most probably)

The problem with stationary bikes is that they subject the knee joint against a continual resistance as opposed to a road bike where the contours of the road allow the knee to recover more from ever shifting stresses. Therefore any biomechanical imbalances will become magnified through the knee far quicker than on the road.

If you keep riding 1/2 hour through pain then yes you are wearing down your kneecap.

I think www.cptips.com have advice on bike set up. I think I would ease up on the stationary for awhile, and if you can get out on the road to warm the legs.

darmitage

say I get the pain and stiffness and cracking noise after I get off the bike?

Postie

One of the biggest problems people create when dealing with a problem like this is worrying too much about "wasting their time" at low tension. Your "good workout" tension is probably more then your knee can take. It is very important to bring yourself to a zone where your knee will stop hurting. This may require a significant break from cycling. Pushing on "in the name of fitness" is a sacrifice that will give you small gain now with huge loss later. No body wants to hear it, but you may have to reevaluate your workout program, your goals, or both.

darmitage

I don,t understand exactly what you are saying! you are talking riddles, please explain thanks

Postie

Hi Darmitage.

Talking in riddles wasn't my intent. My point is that your description of your workout program in conjunction with your problem is something that I have seen a dozen times and been guilty for myself.... Your knee is hurt and is probably getting worse from your exercise program.

Trainers can be hard on the knees because they apply tension throughout the entire pedal stroke as opposed to gliding through the weaker points. I know exactly what you mean when you say that lower tensions feel like a waste, but the fact of the matter is, they're not a complete waste. However it's a given that lower tension is not as good of a cardio workout as higher tension.

You have to strive to get your knee back to relatively pain free and then ease your way back into a workout. One mandatory ingredient in making your knees feel better is by resting them from all activities that can aggravate them. When you ease back into your workout, back off well before your knees are giving you this kind of pain again. You may find that they can not ever sustain the tension you currently have your trainer set at.

Walking actually isn't that hard on your knees. The impact from walking is much much lower then that of running. However, until your knees start feeling better, walking can further inflame them.

So many people say, "Just swim instead". Swimming can some times be much harder on the knees then walking. Disproportionate strength between your quads and your VMO (inner thigh muscle directly to the inner top corner of the kneecap) play a hand in causing kneecap maltracking. If you're bending your knee in the water (ie, you're not doing all your movement from the hips), the resistance of the water while straightening your knee will cause your knee cap to track to the outside and hence, get inflamed.

There are things you can do with bike fit that can help (if it's being caused by misfit). There are exercises you can do to strengthen your VMO and stabilizers so that your knee caps track better. These things are very important. However the first thing you really need to do is rest them. The rest period can be much longer then you'd like. It's hard for an athlete to accept it, but it's a fact.

darmitage

thanks for your help but swimming is no way bad for your knees unless you are doing breaststroke and also if you are bending your knees this is also wrong like you said but I don,t fall into any of these catergories

Postie

I wasn't suggesting that swimming was hurting you. The only reason I brought up the issue of swimming is often, all you hear regarding Patella Chondromalacia syndrome is impact, impact, impact.

It's true, impact is one of the hardest things on a person's knees and a significant cause of Patella Chondromalacia syndrome, however my point was simply that it isn't the only thing hard on your knees and anyone reading advice from forums wouldn't necessarily know that.

If someone has Patella Chondromalacia syndrome, improper form while swimming (like using your knees instead of your hips) is very hard on the knees. The "egg beater" method of treading water can be hard on the knees. The breast stroke is hard on the knees. All of this is impact free and none of this probably pertains to you.

However, walking is not that hard on your knees even though I am fully aware it has significance. Cycling with a trainer with significant tension? That can be very hard on your knees.

These were your questions:



Answer: It's absolutely possible and, from the way you've felt after, it's very probable.



Answer: If it's damaging your knee, the answer is obvious.



Answer: medium tension on the trainer can be much much harder on your knees then walking.

CannonChick

For what it's worth...

I have had patellar problems for many years, and have found that the best way to avoid pain on the bike is to spin fast (high cadence) with low tension, and ice your knees after every ride. I pretty much avoid any big climbs if i can because my knees hate the hills!

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velodrome.co.nr

i had this
the doctors went mad at me when i said i do at least 50miles each week!!!!
that was when i first started out cycling
however the problem was me riding a 58cm frame when i needed a 54. however i had the bike set up as if i needed the 58, lol
so my knees took the pain and it was really bad
my advice to you is check your bike setup, preferably at a good local shop and then see how it goes.
with a bit of rest the problem should go, but try to keep active with some gentle walking and maybe even a leisurely swim.
that way you wont lose too much fitness
also if you try acupressure that does wonders for the knees


hope this helps

andy

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http://www.velodrome.org.uk - A Home for Cyclists

velodrome.co.nr

i had this
the doctors went mad at me when i said i do at least 50miles each week!!!!
that was when i first started out cycling
however the problem was me riding a 58cm frame when i needed a 54. however i had the bike set up as if i needed the 58, lol
so my knees took the pain and it was really bad
my advice to you is check your bike setup, preferably at a good local shop and then see how it goes.
with a bit of rest the problem should go, but try to keep active with some gentle walking and maybe even a leisurely swim.
that way you wont lose too much fitness
also if you try acupressure that does wonders for the knees


hope this helps

andy

__________________
http://www.velodrome.org.uk - A Home for Cyclists

HammerHead

I have chondromalacia and have been able to ride as much and as hard as I want. The most important thing for me has been to get my position right. If the seat is too low or too far back, it can really cause problems. I would get knee pain during and after rides maybe once or twice a month, until I had a professional bike fit. I highly recommend this. Since then, I have had no problems. I do on occasion ice my knees after long rides.

I've been doing this for 10 years and have no ill effects. In fact, my knees are less "cranky" than they used to be.

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