What Is Chondromalacia?
Chondromalacia (pronounced KON-DRO-MAH-LAY-SHE-AH), also called chondromalacia patellae, refers to softening of the articular cartilage of the kneecap. The disorder occurs most often in young adults and may be caused by trauma, overuse, parts out of alignment, or muscle weakness. Instead of gliding smoothly across the lower end of the thigh bone, the kneecap rubs against it, thereby roughening the cartilage underneath the kneecap. The damage may range from a slight abnormality of the surface of the cartilage to a surface that has been worn away completely to the bone. Traumatic chondromalacia occurs when a blow to the knee cap tears off either a small piece of articular cartilage or a large fragment containing a piece of bone (osteochondral fracture). What Are the Symptoms of Chondromalacia? How Is It Diagnosed? The most frequent symptom of chondromalacia is a dull pain around or under the kneecap that worsens when walking down stairs or hills. A person may also feel pain when climbing
