I developed what was diagnosed as severe chondromalacia of the patella by a knee specialist in February. I could barely walk and the pain was heavy. I was told to RICE and given some PT exercises. 3 months later after no improvement I went back and got another examination and also got an MRI done. The MRI showed nothing was torn or broken. The specialist gave the same RICE recommendation, and a few new PT exercises.
I have spent the last 4 months trying different RICE methods, stretching vs. not stretching, doing the PT exercises even when it causes more irritation vs. not doing PT. I have tried a variety of knee braces and taping of the kneecap. Nothing has helped, and everyday walking continues to be very difficult. Standing for long periods of time has become difficult that I now wear a compression knee sleeve on my strong leg because that knee is beginning to strain from carrying more weight.
Aside from the pain from the irritation under my kneecap of the weak leg, I notice my kneecap is buckling each time I go from a bent sitting to position, to standing up.
Has anyone had experience with this buckling before?
Any recommendations on how to correct it?
It is my understanding that I need to strengthen my PT band and hip flexors to get the knee back on track. But in the past few months doing these exercises causes more irritation.
Walking has consistently been very difficult for the last 6 months. At this point I am just looking for any recommendations to have a better day tomorrow, one step at a time. I currently wear a Cho Pat double knee strap that does provide more comfort while standing than other braces in the past, but does nothing to help correct the knee from buckling.
Thanks in advance for any help and advice offered from your experiences.
I have spent the last 4 months trying different RICE methods, stretching vs. not stretching, doing the PT exercises even when it causes more irritation vs. not doing PT. I have tried a variety of knee braces and taping of the kneecap. Nothing has helped, and everyday walking continues to be very difficult. Standing for long periods of time has become difficult that I now wear a compression knee sleeve on my strong leg because that knee is beginning to strain from carrying more weight.
Aside from the pain from the irritation under my kneecap of the weak leg, I notice my kneecap is buckling each time I go from a bent sitting to position, to standing up.
Has anyone had experience with this buckling before?
Any recommendations on how to correct it?
It is my understanding that I need to strengthen my PT band and hip flexors to get the knee back on track. But in the past few months doing these exercises causes more irritation.
Walking has consistently been very difficult for the last 6 months. At this point I am just looking for any recommendations to have a better day tomorrow, one step at a time. I currently wear a Cho Pat double knee strap that does provide more comfort while standing than other braces in the past, but does nothing to help correct the knee from buckling.
Thanks in advance for any help and advice offered from your experiences.