How does my doctor diagnose Patellofemoral Syndrome or Chondromalacia Patella?
Start by giving your doctor a full history of you knee pain and symptoms. Patellofemoral Syndrome and Chondromalacia Patella are diagnosed in part by your symptoms and history and in part by your physical exam and X-ray findings. The physical exam should include evaluating the possible causes of your symptoms. Your doctor should: • Check your normal patella alignment – Do you have lateral patella tilt? Do you have knock knees? • Evaluate for muscle weakness or imbalance of the VMO and VL – the VMO tends to be weaker especially in women • Check for hip weakness or IT band tightness • Measure your Q angle • Check for tightness in the quadriceps and hamstring muscles X-rays are done to show the alignment of the patella in the femoral groove. It is important to find out if the patella tracks incorrectly. An MRI is done to evaluate the articular cartilage of the patella. Evaluating for Patellofemoral Syndrome and Chondromalacia Patella can be tricky because it’s symptoms are very similar to
