Patellofemoral Syndrome After Knee Dislocation
Posted , 3 users are following.
Hi everyone, about 2 years ago i injured my knee playing playing basketball. I went to the emergency doctor to get it checked out and after some x-rays he determined that there was no structural damage to my knee and that i probably "tweaked" the ligaments(not sure what that means) and that i would be fine. I naively believed him and 3 months later the same thing happened, this time i was on vacation, so i opted to wait a week until i could go see my family doctor. He determined that there was no broken bones or damaged ligaments, because i was not feeling any pain during his physical tests. Because of the time between the injury and my visit he couldn't really diagnose me with anything and recommended some basic exercises for my legs and said i should follow up i had more problems. A year later my knee was still in pain and finally got to see a sports medicine doctor. She determined that i likely dislocated my kneecap both times and that i am suffering from patellofemural pain syndrome. She said that there's not much she could do but recommend some more exercises and refer me a knee brace and to physiotherapy. 3 months later I still have that annoying pain that comes and goes, and am considering physio because i want to play again and start doing leg stuff at the gym. Just wanted to see if others experienced this and how they dealt with it.
0 likes, 4 replies
jamie53221 jonathan03297
Edited
Hi Jonathan, I injured both MCL ligaments running on too high of an incline on a treadmill. No tears, breaks, dislocations. It's going on 2 years where I still feel pain especially on stairs. No surgery necessary according to my doctors BUT this surely is a crazy ride!!!
I'm a very active person, top producing Realtor who can't climb stairs. It's super depressing. I did graduate from ice, straight position and the heating pad. No fun.
Get better soon.
Sgt.lindalee jamie53221
Edited
Hi Jamie, Have you tried anything like Diclofenac(Voltaren) its a gel for topical application...if you're still having problems it might be helpful to ask your Dr...using it after heat works great BEFORE exercise/activity, THEN apply heat more gel, then ice, AFTER exercise!! Good Luck🍀☮🏘💰
Sgt.lindalee jonathan03297
Posted
Hi Jonathan, Well you hit one person at least in this forum who KNOWS your situation!! I was in the US ARMY at age 17, age 20... during live fire war sim I got blown out of a deuce &1/2 by a heavy duty flash bang grenade..my one knee took brunt, swollen to melon size(no lie)nothing broke... but, tears/stretching it took 6mos to heal but, no more running,kneeling or squatting...later(within 2 yrs) femoral/patella pain syndrome...My son played hockey up to a JrA team, age 18 had to quit for same issues(defenseman knee trauma) He is 30 now and has the same thing...FIRST APPROVE TX WITH YOUR DR, everybody is different & I don't want it to get worse by having you go against your Dr.....They can do surgery(lap) but, it almost always returns to the same issues and it causes scarring(you're young I wouldn't do surgery...unless its for a specific tear)...if you get into the anti-inflammatories, you can risk stomach problems but, Aleve(Naproxen) works great, it needs to be taken with food & ask your Dr...there are a few topicals(old school Aspercreme works for some) we use Diclofenac(Voltaren) topicals don't get into your digestive tract and aren't absorbed into the bloodstream like pills, so you can use them often & more liberally, plus it gets to the right spot!! TX: We use heat 20 min, apply topical, massage in, let dry, ice 20 min(you can skip this if it feels better for exercise), wrap or brace(optional)...normal function!! REPEAT AS NEEDED!!
Hint...HEAT can cause it to swell a bit but, it makes things more relaxed, increases blood flow(good for ALL meds to work faster) tends to feel better for exercise/activity, ...COLD reduces swelling, inflammation but, can make it stiffer, you may want to use ice AFTER exercise...ALTERNATING heat/ice vice versa for 20 min at a time can really help!!
Be sure to do proper exercises for all knee areas(lateral stability is important too) esp if you find yourself using a support a lot, it can cause weakness in the other muscles supporting the knee...ask your Dr about any activity limitations, some sports are hard on the knees, some advise no heavy weights, hard biking, running(long distance)...only because it can increase symptoms...sitting with your knees bent for long periods, using stairs are all not good....THIS isn't something to push through, if it hurts, to keep playing in pain it will take longer to recover, back off if it hurts...hopefully THIS will make it so you can play longer with less pain!! Good Luck & BEST WISHES💒♾🐾🎶🌈🍀☮🏀
jonathan03297 Sgt.lindalee
Posted
Hi! Thanks for the advice, I have been trying to do some strengthening exercises but the doctor was very vague about what to do and the ones I found online haven't been working. Can you recommend any knee strengthening exercises? Also I agree with the application of heat. I use tiger balm and it works for a couple of hours but I haven't tried icing as well, I will look into that.
Thanks for the reply!!