PFSS - FRONT KNEE PAIN
What is PFSS - Anterior Knee Pain?
The underside of the patella lies against the femur and forms the patellofemoral joint. In PFSS (patellofemoral pain syndrome) also called chondromalacia, an overload occurs in this area and you get pain in the front of the knee. PFSS - Anterior knee pain is one of the most common causes of knee problems among people who are physically active.
Why do you get front knee pain? There are several explanatory models for why you get this type of problem. Here are some examples:
-You are too weak in the muscles on the front of the thigh (quadriceps) and this means that the patella does not move optimally in the patellofemoral joint and pain occurs. If the mobility of the quadriceps is reduced, the pressure in the patellofemoral joint increases and you can get pain.
-Ibalance in strength between the muscles in the front of the thigh and the muscles in the back of the thigh (hamstrings).
-Pronation, that you fall inwards with the ankle under load, gives an inward rotation in the knee which in turn can contribute to an overload patellofemoral.
-A too sharply increased training level that loads the knee at the upper edge against what it can withstand and the pain in the front knee is a fact
Knee treatment at Alta Vita
Symptoms of chondromalacia
Strain pain in the knee when, for example, running, stair climbing or walking that is located to the front of the knee. Sitting with a bent knee can after a while trigger pain in the knee. A majority have pain in both knees. Both women and men are affected. It can be difficult to pinpoint exactly where the pain is, but often it is around the patella or inside the patella.
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Diagnosis of PFSS
Diagnosis is made after anamnesis and examination. We look at the hip, knee, lower leg and foot. In the overall picture, we also include movement patterns in load for the hip, knee and foot.
Treatment of anterior knee pain
Once we have put our finger on what are the underlying causes of PFSS, we steer the treatment towards it. The treatment may consist of an adjustment of the foot position with shoe insoles, knee stabilizing exercise , stretching of front and / or back thighs. If the patient exercises running, it may be relevant with one running analysis to optimize the running step. So initially we want to adjust any unfavorable load positions that may come from the hip, knee, foot. In combination with this, we want to increase load tolerance patellofemoral with strength training. This minimizes the risk of relapse when the original activity is resumed.
