What's wrong with my knee?

Think back, have you fallen on your knee recently or been bending it a lot? When doing exercises like squats and lunges, your knee can feel really tight and have massive pressure on it. Try and avoid exercise for a while, use ice to numb the pain. When sitting you can put your leg up with maybe a pillow of some sort under your knee. If all of this fails you should probably check in with your doctor. Hope this helps :)

You might have chondromalacia patella pain. Chondromalacia patella is the most common cause of chronic knee pain. Its common in teenagers and young adults. Especially girls/woman.

ATTENTION: You MIGHT have this and you MIGHT NOT...

What causes it:

The patella (kneecap) is normally pulled over the end of the femur in a straight line by the quadriceps (thigh) muscle. Patients with chondromalacia patella frequently have abnormal patellar "tracking" toward the lateral (outer) side of the femur. This slightly off-kilter pathway allows the undersurface of the patella to grate along the femur, causing chronic inflammation and pain. Certain individuals are predisposed to develop chondromalacia patella: females, knock-kneed or flat-footed runners, or those with an unusually shaped patella undersurface.

How you can treat it:

The primary goal for treatment and rehabilitation of chondromalacia patella is to create a straighter pathway for the patella to follow during quadriceps contraction. Initial pain management involves avoiding motions which irritate the kneecap. Icing and anti-inflammatory medications (for examples, ibuprofen [Advil/Motrin] or naproxen [Aleve]) can be helpful.

Selective strengthening of the inner portion of the quadriceps muscle helps normalize the tracking of the patella. Cardiovascular conditioning can be maintained by stationary bicycling (low resistance but high rpms), pool running, or swimming (flutter kick). Reviewing any changes in training prior to chondromalacia patella pain, as well as examining running shoes for proper biomechanical fit are critical to avoid repeating the painful cycle. Generally, full squat exercises with weights are avoided. Occasionally, bracing with patellar centering devices are required. Infrequently, surgical correction of knee alignment is considered.

Stretching and strengthening the quadriceps and hamstring muscle groups is critical for an effective and lasting rehabilitation of chondromalacia patella. "Quad sets" are the foundation of such a physical therapy program. Quad sets are done by contraction the thigh muscles while the legs are straight and holding the contraction for a count of 10. Sets of 10 contractions are done between 15-20 times per day.

Hope this helps!!!