General Cycling Discussion - Chondromalacia patellae!

Does anyone suffer from this? I'm beginning to think I am. :( It's basically a softening of the cartilage in the knee and can eventually lead to degenerative osteoarthritis of the joint! (More info here: http://healthlink.mcw.edu/article/926052680.html). I don't have much knee pain presently, but noticed I could hear a sickening "grinding" sound coming from my left knee while climbing stairs - not good.

After doing a bit of research, it sounds like a fairly common occurance among runners, cyclists, skiers, etc. It's frustrating because I'm not even 30 yet and have only been mountain biking (after about 10 years away) on a regular basis (almost daily) for 4 months! I really don't want to give this up but don't want to do more damage either. I do plan to see a doctor about this, but wanted to hear some other thoughts before doing so.

So, does anyone else have this (or have you had it in the past)? What did/do you do about it? Thanks...

If I though I had it I would see a doctor.

Yes, I have it. It started seriously in my 40's. I cannot do step aerobics, jog, deep squats, kick boxing etc. I saw two different doctors for it. The first was not much help but did prescribe orthodotics. The second was a runner who had the same problem. He sent me to a physical therapist who taught me how to train around the condition and physical therapy. Then I saw a rehab trainer who taught me more.

One symptom is pain when sitting for 10 minutes or longer.

I still do my PT 3x's a week, am very careful about increasing my activities, use speedplay pedals for maximum float and had orthodotics made for my ski boots and cycling shoes.

I can do pretty much what I want, ski, bike, hike, weight train etc. without much pain. I'm pretty careful about increasing activity. I do ride long distances and hills but I build around a 500 mi base in the winter (on the trainer) and 20 - 30 mile rides before I start doing distance rides and hills.

When I push to hard I can really feel it.

Cycling has been very good for this condition, and I make sure I spin and I do not push big gears.

If you have the problem the pain will tell you. For the best advice, see a doctor.

Kathi

I've had that injury for 35 years, and it doesn't restrict me at all. Thirty years ago, I found that most doctors were far too conservative about it. Most would tell me to rest for a year and see what happens. Finally, a surgeon who was also an athlete told me to do whatever I wanted as long as I could stand the pain. A friendly dentist who gave me prescriptions for ibuprofen (it wasn't available over the counter then) was as helpful as most doctors. I've raced bikes, I still ski race, I run, and my knees are mostly fine.
The key for me was physical therapy and strength training. I actually avoid too much spinning. When my knee is completely pain free, I do strength training including lunges and squats, and bike intervals on steep hills or in high gears. I did a lot of fairly high intensity training, but I was careful and got lots of rest, ice and ibuprofen between workouts.
This is a more common injury for runners than cyclists, because runners tend to have less well developed quads than hamstrings. I also don't believe that the risk of cartilege damage spreading from the kneecap to the miniscus (the main load bearing cartilege in the hinge of the knee) is very great. Use ibuprofen or aspirin or Vioxx and ice to keep the inflammation under control. If you can cotol the inflammation, the injury is not getting any worse, and may even be healing. GLucosamine and chondroitin may help heal cartilege, but I have no experience with them.
See a doctor anyway to be sure of what your injury is. Kneecap injuries are not usually real noisy, and usually they make descending stairs much more painful than climbing stairs. Form your description, it sounds to me as if you may have some other problem in your knee.
Good luck

Eddy