Pilates for those that Suffer from Chrondomalacia
Friday, October 17th, 2008
Chrondomalacia is an injury that affects the kneecap. It is an injury that is most commonly developed due to muscle weakness in and around the kneecap, as in weak hamstrings or quadriceps, a hard fall, or due to overuse, however depending on the age and specifics of the injury such causes can widely vary. For the younger sufferer, which is also the most common, overuse or a fall may be the likely culprit.
For the older demographic sometimes arthritis of the knee, or the simple matter of the aging process can play into the development of Chrondomalacia. Chrondomalacia can be described as “damage” to the articular cartilage of the kneecap, which is located behind the knee.
The cartilage that is underneath the kneecap is the working connector between the femur and the knee, which enables smooth flex between the two bones. If this cartilage is in working order, a certain “slickness” will be felt when the body flexes the knee.
If Chrondomalacia is a factor, there will be a rough response, which will result in agitation. Such a simple movement as flexing the knee, walking, running, and/or going up or down stairs etc., will be met with unduly friction between the bones and will cause minimal to monumental levels of pain, depending on the consistency of daily movement and the enduring nature of the condition.
While self-diagnosis is never recommended when suffering any kind of pain, symptoms of Chrondomalacia may help in pinpointing the condition, if you have assumptions that you may be suffering from it, or a physician has confirmed it.
Walking down the stairs will be one of the biggest determining factors of Chrondomalacia condition. A deadening pain will be felt from behind the knee, when doing so as well as getting up from a seated, cross-legged position, or climbing a flight of stairs, sidewalk, or walking on any steeply graded surface.
For those that are involved in an active lifestyle, you may want to consider discontinuing the sport until you can begin a rehabilitation program. This condition is most common in soccer players, bicyclists, runners (both long distance and sprinters), and in downhill skiers.
When searching for treatment most Chrondomalacia sufferers will be told to seek out low impact exercises that will prohibit further strain on the knees. Pilates rehabilitation is a great fit for those that suffer from this condition because it will strengthen the injured area as well as the surrounding muscles, all the while gently stretching and building up the muscles that can protect the damaged cartilage from further harm.
When choosing a Pilates rehabilitation instructor to help you with this condition, it is best to choose someone familiar with Chrondomalacia. While Pilates is an excellent form of gentle rehabilitation methods, it also has quite a bit of poses and positions that use the knees as the baseline for the body.
Someone who is familiar and well versed with Chrondomalacia will know that this is not an option for you, and will develop an effective Pilates Chrondomalacia rehabilitation program that can still strengthen the knees, through a series of Pilates work without putting added, and potentially dangerous stress on them.