Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome

What Is Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome?

Patellofemoral pain syndrome affects the front part of your knee — in particular, the area behind or around the kneecap. Most of the people who suffer from this syndrome are active teenagers and young adults who play sports that involves a lot of running and jumping. Ironically, the condition is also known as runner’s knee, since the condition is common among runners. Women athletes suffer twice as much as men because their wider pelvis increases the angle between the thigh bone and the knee joint.

Before you proceed with any patellofemoral pain syndrome treatment, you must consult a knee specialist like Dr. Amr Hosny or one of the other pain management experts at New York Pain Care. Your knee pain may have been caused by something else entirely, such as iliotibial band syndrome or chondromalacia patella, which are other conditions that affect your knees.

The pain management doctors at New York Pain Care can diagnose any hip pain or back pain that you may be feeling along with the knee pain. Consultation with one of their knee specialists is easy and convenient with diverse locations in Bergen County, Union County and Morris County in NJ. In New York City, find them in the Financial District, Greenwich Village and Midtown Manhattan.

What Causes Patellofemoral Pain?

Your knee is a strong, complex joint. Its bones are held together by ligaments, tendons, muscles, cartilage and other soft tissues. It’s a structure that allows you to kick your legs and bend your knees. Patellofemoral pain is a dull, aching pain that gets severe when you try walking, climbing stairs, kneeling or doing squat exercises. You can also feel the twinge when you sit in a chair for a long time with your knees bent.

Because your knees support your mobility and hold your weight, they are vulnerable to injury and disease. Patellofemoral pain syndrome is just one condition that can affect your knees. The most common causes for the patellofemoral pain syndrome include:

• Biomechanical problems where the kneecap sits too high in the knee joint
• A kneecap that’s larger on the outside than the inside
• Worn-out cartilage in the knee joint
• Flat feet
• Achilles tendonitis
• Tight hamstrings or calves
• Weak thigh muscles
• Overuse and repetitive stress on the knee joint
• A sports injury that caused a fracture or dislocation
• Prior surgery to repair an ACL tear, which increases your risk
• Shoes that provide little or no foot support
• A sudden change in exercise routine, where you increase the time, distance or number of sets
• Improper exercise technique or not using gym equipment properly
• Knee arthritis caused by degenerative wear and tear, which affects people over the age of 65 who complain of pain, swelling and stiffness, especially in the morning

What’s the Treatment for Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome?

The first thing your knee specialist may tackle is the pain. You can take over-the-counter pain relievers, such as ibuprofen. If your pain comes with swelling, you’re advised to ice the area for a few minutes every hour. It’s also recommended to keep your knee elevated when you sit or sleep.

Your doctor offers other forms of patellofemoral pain syndrome treatment at New York Pain Care, depending on your specific diagnosis. While Dr. Hosny prefers starting with the simplest, least invasive remedies, he’s ready for stronger treatments if you need it. Other treatment modalities include:

• Wearing supportive braces that limits your knee movement
• Taking up exercising under the care of a physical therapist for exercises that strengthen your quadriceps and hamstrings
• Working to strengthen the muscles around the hips to prevent getting hip tendonitis or a hip strain
• Exercising in a swimming pool to relieve stress on your back and knees if you have chronic back pain due to a back injury
• Wrapping your knee in compression tape to relieve pain
• Investing in good athletic shoes that provide ample support, which can prevent you getting an ankle injury or developing foot pain
• Losing weight, as your extra weight may cause other problems like sacroiliac joint pain or sacrum pain
• Getting a massage or acupuncture to relax tight muscles
• Trying trigger point injections or epidural steroid injections, if your pain is severe
• Sticking with your post-operative rehabilitation program if you had a surgery recently to minimize the risk of patellofemoral pain

An early diagnosis gives you a better chance of a simpler, more effective solution to your knee pain. Contact New York Pain Care at the first hint of knee pain. With eight offices from Manhattan to Paramus, NJ, you can find one near you.