I love to run. Always have, even as a little girl. And I was fast! Oh, I may have looked sweet and innocent, but I deceived the boys and beat them in races on the playground (much to their chagrin). No one could catch me in "boys chase girls," and I would be a champion tagger in the reverse "girls chase boys." I loved it!

My first official race was one I never intended to enter. A friend of mine had to drop out of a 5K at the last minute. She asked me the night prior to the race if I would take her bib number and run in her place. "Uh, sure. I'll do it." (Oh, how naive I was!) Without any training, I placed 3rd. I got a trophy too. It was in my friend's name, but cool nonetheless.

Perhaps I took my ability to run fast for granted, and I didn't train properly. Perhaps it was bound to happen regardless of anything. But several years ago I started developing bilateral knee soreness. I would rest a day or two, but essentially ignored it.

Last year I had aspirations of running my first marathon, but I did too much, too fast, too soon - and then bam! My right knee starting hurting like the Dickens whenever I ran! (Thankfully my left knee is OK.) Sometimes the pain felt like a knife jab to the front of my knee. Walking up and down the stairs was an unpleasant experience as well.

After a few visits to the doctor, x-rays, and an MRI, I learned I have patella alta, which essentially means my kneecap is positioned high in its groove. That in and of itself isn't necessarily bad, but it does play a role in my not-so-good diagnosis.

I also have chondromalacia, also known as patellofemoral syndrome, or simply "runner's knee." (Yeah, I can see you runners shaking your heads and murmuring, "Oooo, that stinks!") Pretty much the cartilage behind my kneecap is being irritated and torn due to my knee joint tracking improperly as it slides in the groove at the bottom part of the thigh bone (the femur).

How did I get chondromalacia? As I mentioned above, my anatomy plays a big part:

From: Runner's World (emphasis mine):

It could be a biomechanical problem--the patella ...may sit too high in the femoral groove. Also, worn cartilage in the knee joint reduces shock absorption, high-arched feet provide less cushioning, and flat feet... can pull the patella sideways. There are also muscular causes. Tight hamstring and calf muscles put pressure on the knee, and weak quadriceps muscles can cause the patella to track out of alignment. Just the repetitive force of a normal running stride alone can be enough to provoke an attack.

I've got the low arches and the high patella. I trained too hard and put a lot of stress on my knee joint. I may have had weak quadriceps too.

What is the cure? Well, I always may have to contend with this problem. I just can't change my skeletal makeup! However, there are some things I can do to help treat this problem and prevent it from getting worse.

• Strengthen my quadriceps - to support my knee and prevent it from tracking laterally out of its groove. My physical therapist gave me a handful of strengthening exercises to do. One that I do most often (because it's so convenient) is sit on the floor and do leg raises.
• Stretching my calf muscles and hamstrings - again to prevent lateral pulling of my knee which leads to improper tracking.
• Orthotics - I wear arch supports in my shoes. They were made to fit my foot exactly and aide in proper alignment. Feet have a huge impact on whole body alignment! In many instances alignment problems start with the feet (and can end with them too)!
• I've worn knee braces (which may or may not have helped). And I take glucosamine and chondroitin (when I remember).
• Then there's the rest, ice, and Motrin if the knee pain acts up.

I've also stopped running - for a year now! It wasn't too difficult to handle during the winter months, but now that the weather is warmer, I have urges to get out and go for a long jog! I miss running, and I'd like to start again. But I know if I am to ever run again, I absolutely must ease into it s-l-o-w-l-y and train wisely in order to prevent further damage to my knees. My lesson has been learned the hard way! Please! Protect your knees runners!

Originally posted 2008-04-16 09:00:06. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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chondromalacia, painful running, patella alta, runners knee, running stories