Chondromalacia Patellae - Knee Problems - Are my riding days over?

Guys, this is the first time I'm posting here. Out of sheer desperation at this point.

And just to shed some light Chondromalacia Patellae is softening of the cartilage behind the kneecap due to excessive force or mal-tracking of the patellae over the femur groove. When this happens, squatting becomes difficult and painful.

At this point I am unable to ride because I would be in pain for weeks or months from.

My doctor said no deep squatting for me, and that's pretty much all you do while riding, specially at the track. The constant body position switching puts an insane amount of stress on my patellae.

I am extremely depressed about this and would love to know if anyone has experience or can recommend a Doctor or Physical Therapist that deals with Riders/Racers. And if any of you have suffered from this if there is light at the end of the tunnel for me.

I have a 2015 R1 bought late last year that have not been able to enjoy because of this since.

Please if you have any opinion, I'd appreciate you sharing it.

Thanks.

 

Has the doctor recommended a solution?

Right now this sounds like "Doc, my arm hurts if I lift it above my shoulder" and the doc says "Well, don't lift it above your shoulder."

 

Thanks for your reply. The doctor sent me for Physical Therapy. That did not do much, actually what I was doing to "manage" the condition resulted in Quadriceps tendonitis. So I had to back off of it and feeling unsure about this being the right approach to my situation. Going back to doctor soon for a follow up.

I'm posting here in hopes of finding any fellow Racers/Riders who've gone through this and if they have ever recovered and what did they do who did they see. I feel misunderstood as a rider by the people taking care of my condition.

 

I just Google.

Did the doc say what stage it is (1-4)?

Did he recommend doing a scope?

Is he a knee specialist?

If the answer to the last question was NO, you need to see a specialist.

 

We are not there yet. But considering the failed attempt at PT and already months of this going on, the inability to squat or even go down/up stairs without pain in my knees, is telling me this is going to be a wild ride. I've done a lot of googling but can't find any info on this condition in relation to racing/riding.

This actually started after a weekend of track with tight leathers putting pressure on the kneecap, followed by unusual volume of cycling.

 

Go see a joint specialist.

 

Guys, I appreciate your responses. Just to be clear, when I say doctor, I mean an orthopedic specialist. I know I need to continue my follow up as I mentioned before.

I'm looking to know if anyone has gone through this being a Rider/Racer and how was it managed or any other thing I haven't done/considered yet.

Again, super appreciative of your responses.

 

Google says it is treatable at all stages.

How old are you?

 

35.

 

www.medicinenet.com/patellofemoral_syndrome/article.htm#what_is_the_treatment_for_chondromalacia_patella

 

Two years ago I had very severe patellar tendinitis in both knees on separate occasions. Sounds similar to what Your describing. My Dr prescribed Meloxicam 15mg/day for a few months and it did very well to bring the inflammation down.

You gotta reduce the inflammation before healing really happens

 

I got Synvisc injections to help mine. Ultimately you'll need surgery though.

 

I was at some point on a short round of Meloxicam for other shoulder related issues. Did you completely fix your situation? what did you do in addition to the anti-inflamatories? Thanks for your response!

 

Thank you for pointing this site out. I've done quite a bit of googling, it all points to stopping the aggravating activities, which really reduce my symptoms if I do. However, I don't want to give riding up. Thanks for your help!

 

What has been your story? We can PM if you like. I wouldn't mind surgery if it has a high success rate and would mean I would be able to ride. I just came out of shoulder surgery due to a Labrum tear.

 

No surgery yet but I have a host of things wrong with both of my knees. Vertical tear of the meniscus, chondromalacia of the patella, plica syndrome, osteoarthritis, chondromalacia of the medial femoral condyle, plus a host of other $5 words. My knees are f*cked. I don't run anymore and only ride road bikes and get by okay. I haven't had surgery, but it is an option my doctor wanted me to explore. Besides getting the Synvisc injections I did a lot of physical therapy and took a ton of anti-inflammatories.

 

Sorry to hear dude. This sucks pretty bad. Road bicycles or road motorcycles? And does that mean you are not riding superbike/sport at the track? How do you do if you still do ride at the track?

 

With the tendonitis, absolutely fixed my problem. It was so bad I could absolutely not bend my leg at all during the flare up. If I tried...the pain was intense. I gave it
like 2 weeks to see what happened before I went to the Orthopedic specialist for help. And that Meloxicam is a miracle in my opinion. I could walk normally again within a week, and getting into my car wasn't a Circus Act.

I also do quite a bit of resistance training. I have pretty strong legs. Probably my favorite thing to do at the gym.
So lots of squats, leg presses and quad extensions. Which, as you've mentioned, is a problem for you. I've been weight training for 35 years. I've dealt with my shair of
injuries. I was patient with it. Started back slow and easy and did what it let me do. Eventually I got my 550 squat back....which is not nearly my best, but hell, I'm 47 with a LOT of wear and tear on my body now...so I will take what I can get.

 

Road bicycles. After riding for a while I’ve gotten full motion back into my knees and can, if I was so inclined, to roadrace again.

 

go to a sports medical ortho doc. tell them you are young, active, and want to be back to where you were or better, so you can ride/race. doctor mark (knee doctor to a lot of motocrossers, in texas) swears by an hour on a stationary bike per day, for knee health. he has his own section on thumper talk.

i have had 2 reconstructions, and one "clean up, repair". both knees have been trashed, and I still ride. all depends on how you want to rehab, and what docs you choose. you get out, what you put in. Ski