Runner's Knee (Chondromalacia)

Anterior knee pain in active people.

Softening of the cartilage behind the kneecap. It's often a tracking issue caused by weak hips, not a 'bad knee'. A biomechanical assessment of the patella and identifying the cause of chondromalacia are also extremely important. We focus on the kinetic chain to unload the patella.

Symptoms

Pain behind kneecap
Grinding (crepitus)
Pain on stairs
Ache after sitting

Conservative treatment

Glute medius strengthening
Core stability
Gait retraining
Orthobiologic treatment

When is surgery needed?

Arthroscopic chondroplasty (smoothing) or cartilage reconstruction if mechanical flaps cause catching or for large full-thickness cartilage defects.