Cartilage damage behind the kneecap / Chondropathia patellae
1. Risk kinds of sport:
Run and jump loads (track and field athletics, football, volleyball, basketball)2. Function:
The cartilage behind the kneecap serves friction-poor moving (slide) of the kneecap with bends and distances in the knee joint.3. Injury mechanism:
particularly during strong bend load (mountain-go off, stair downward going) in addition, during sporty load with high dynamically loaded diffraction of the knee it comes over the high contact pressure of the Patella to the Femur to pain (e.g. three-jump). A cause of this cartilage overloading repeated micro traumata (falls on the knee) can be or also wrongly implemented sporty movements (e.g. knee bends with force training). Likewise a bad position/a false formation of the kneecap is possible as a cause as well as leg axle errors.4. Symptoms:
- Pain retropatellar and approximately around the kneecap above all, if the knee is loaded statically (seats with bent knee, for example in the car), in addition, during dynamic load (above all mountain running off, stairs downward go)- often the patient feels also a joint rubbing when moving the knee
5. First measures:
- Avoidance of sporty load, which releases the pain- in the acute phase cooling
6. Diagnostics:
- Orthopedic investigation- Roentgen
- Ultrasonic
7. Therapy:
a) Conservative therapy- Inserts
- Injections
- anti-inflammatory medicines
- Bandages
b) Operational therapy
Numerous operational procedures are described.
The results are not optimal however.
8. Physiotherapy:
- Electrical therapy- Heat application
- Patellamobilisation
- Stretch of the thigh musculature
- leg axial stabilisation practices
9. Prevention:
- Load situation for the kneecap avoid (deep knee bend, uncontrolled jumps)- pay attention to leg axial stabilisation (muscle training)
- support with inserts or footwear (special shoes)