Chondromalacia Patella - anyone??

flump1967

flump1967

Well-Known Member
May 19, 2005
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new forest
Bit of a long shot.
I have just been diagnosed with Chondromalacia Patella after a year or so of knee pain. It feels like it is slightly dislocated all the time and makes horrible crunchy noises that are so loud my OH can hear them right across the room. I have taken to humming when I sit or stand as the noise makes me feel sicky!
Anyway, could be a lot worse - but I just wondered if anyone else has this and if so what affect riding has on it / or the condition has on your riding.
I have been told riding can worsen the pain as the knee is constantly bent so I am wondering about doing Western with longer stirrups and straighter legs.
I am only a ploddy pootler at best so will be ambling about for an hour or so tops. Am also a bit conerned about dismounting and stress on knee as it has given out on occaision. Again I wonder about Western dismount (and smallish pone) so as to misimise discomfort.
Any thoughts??
 
Sounds painful. :(

All I can say is that my mum has hip problems and cannot dismount the english way and so always dismounts in the western fashion which is much more comfortable for her.

There's the endurance saddles too? I believe they ride with straighter legs too.
 
I'm going in for a Therapeutic endoscopic operations on cavity of knee in June due to patella issues, it's a short proceedure but should be well worth it. I never jump off my mare onto a hard surface, usually into the school. Has your consultant suggested patella strapping with tape?
 
I have this condition too in my right knee- I don't think it's as bad as yours because I don't have the crunching, but I do have some clicking, stiffness and pain when I walk on hard ground or sit for too long.

I personally find it is worsened a bit by riding, although for shorter rides I'm not too bothered, so you might be ok ambling about - certainly longer stirrups would help, taking your legs out of the stirrups occasionally and waggling them about helps too! My knee pain is worst if I do a lot of trotting and if I go out for longer hacks, but at the end of the day I love riding so much I am willing to deal with the increased pain/stiffness after a long ride.
 
:eek: sounds really painful :o
dont kow the western dismount but could you not put your right leg over the left side of the horse so your sort of side-saddle and then hold onto the pommel & cantle & lower yourself down? :confused: just a thought :)
 
Thanks folks - things to think about there. I find the worst thing is going down hills or stairs (have to do one leg at a time) plus geting up from the floor is quite hard.
Will ask my doctor abot jab and also knee brace of some sort. The other thing I find hard is lifting leg over back of saddle to get on/off.
OH suggests I just fall off as this might be easier :cool:
Good Luck with the surgerey Mikh.
 
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Flump - have you GOT to get down onto the ground? Can you not dismount onto a block? THat would take a lot of the impact off your knee.

Western might be good, but you can ride English with extra-long stirrups as well ! Just put them down until its a comfortable length. You might find something like those stirrup cages the endurance people use would be useful too, as it is harder to keep your feet in much longer stirrups, and the cages would let you have your feet in a bit further than you would normally do.

You might also think about investing in some bendy/flexible stirrups if you don't already have them. The Sprenger ones are meant to be very good for people with knee problems as they really do reduce the amount of stress on the knee.
 
my knee went crunch last year when walking through the office in front of my work collegues and i dislocated the patella is was a good 2-3 weeks before i got back on, i actually found it more comfortable riding than being on foot. Worryingly my knee pains every so often now and i am panicing about my knee, you would think riding strengthens knee and muscles around it wouldnt you, the Dr i saw said bad for your joints :(
 
To be honest I find the thought of a block for dismounting a bit scary. I like to be either on or off and worry that pone would move and I would fall between him and the block and end up stood on. S'pose would be ok if I had someone to hold though. Might try leg over front and slide down too. I know this is not supposedly safe but I did this for a great many years when I was younger and survived. Seems to be easier to lift my leg in front of me than behind.
As I'm going to be a RS rider again soon I will have to call around and ask if anyone can accomodate my numerous weird ways!
To date I need:
1. Very, very,very, quiet, freindly and understanding yard and instructor as I have social anixiety/depression disorder and cannot cope with any hint of conflict. Eg have to turn telly over if it shows anyone arguing and Jon Humphries on "Today" programme gives me nightmares.
2. Flexibility to accept dismount may be weird (and non BHS) and needs block to mount even smallest pony.
3.Stocky pony as small as possible that can carry 12 stones who must also be as slow and laid back as to have passing snails leave him in a trail of dust. Said pony must also have good supply of mane in case of grabbing need.
4. Strong stomached staff for sight of me in riding gear.

How inviting do I sound????:eek:
 
flump 1967, i think having your legs straighter generaly might help, if you can change to western, it might be an idea as you could just sit the trot a lot more as its pressure through thte knee while bent that will hurt.
otherwise if you see a physio who could give some knee strengthening exercises increasing some different muscles could move the kneecap to a better mechanical place and might help too. either way, not stopping is the key!
 
First of al, can I say ouch! That sounds really painful :(

Now can I plug icelandics?! Would be the perfect solution :D

They are little (max 14.2hh) but can carry weight, so if thats an issue they are fine. Icelandic riders ride pretty straight legged anyway, and who needs rising trot when you can tolt?! Plus you say your in the new forest, so you should be closeish to a lot of the South icelandic people to go have a try! :D
 
Hi, I have that in both knees, but I also have Hyper Mobility Syndrome, which gives me problems with all my joints.
I have had loads of knee ops to try to realigne my knee caps, but they were not successful.
My knees are constantly painful, creak and crack a lot, give way all the time, my knee caps dislocate etc.
I was told many years ago to stop riding, but chose to ignore that piece of advice!
Riding is AGONY, but to try to lessen the pain, I always get on and off from a mounting block, I use those bendy stirrups which are great. Doing a rising trot is SO painful, so i do mostly sitting trot, or canter. I cant really jump any more, and the worst thing for me is a sudden spook, shy, stumble, as my knees often give way and i end up in a heap on my poor ponios neck!

There are days when I just cant ride at all, so i just have to make the most of the good days.
I was supposed to have knee cap replacement surgery, then full knee replacement surgery, but I am trying to leave that for as long as I can.

Good luck, and if there is anything else you want to know, feel free to ask me. :D
 
I have CP but had it before I started riding. Had 1st op at 14yrs, 2nd op at 16yrs and 3rd op at 28.

I started riding when I was 37 and wasn't sure how my knees would cope with it neither was doctor but he said have a go and see how you get on and I was very surprised to find that after about 6 months my knees actually improved.

It seems to be that the building up of my thigh muscles helped to support my kneecaps, they are still very mobile but a lot better than they were.

I must admit that just recently they have started grating a lot again but luckily have not too much pain as of yet.

I have found that the muscle bulk of my thighs is quite different on each leg which I'm sure is due to surgery, but it doesn't realy affect my riding :)

Ditto also bendy stirrups, I have a pair of Sprenger Bow, very expensive but worth every penny.

Kxx
 
I had CP diagnosed in my late 30s.

Strapping and intensive physio helped enormously for well over 20 years; I just made sure that on dismounting I always landed on my "good" leg. Due to excellent physio advice, the muscular development of my legs has, I am sure, lessened the impact of arthritic knees on my mobility, too. The poor condition of my joints is to some extent compensated for by the muscle tone of my legs.

Now, with arthritis in both knees as well as CP in the left, I just slither slowly down the side of my horse, controlling my speed of descent with my arms and body, and ensure that I land gently and level on my feet.

I find that if I have to dismount and walk down a hill, my mare will patiently support me - I hold onto her mane, or lean on a stirrup, or on her neck, as I hobble along.

I personally consider my CP to be an annoying and painful inconvenience, though, not a disability per se.
 
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Wow! I am so grateful to everyone who has posted - lots of food for thought. Hyper mobility sounds not much fun at all.
Old woman - I agree , hope that by posting in Disabled riders nobody thinks I am making too much of this?? I would class myself as disabled by my other conditions but think of my CP (so far) as a "problem" but time will tell how much of a disability it does or doesn't become. It was just that this seemed the most appropriate forum as it was to do with a medical condition.
Thanks all. Think I will go for the physio appointments and see how things go from there. I am also seeing my gym instructor on Monday as I think one of my exercises (leg press) may be iritating my knee even though this exercise does work on the thigh muscle which is good. Will see if there is an alternative exercise taking less strain on my knee.
Also wondering if there is a genetic element at all as my cousin has the same thing (but at a much younger age) and has had 3 ops now and is still not right.
My GP said women are more likely to get it, especially those with big hips - pear shaped- as this means leg bone (technical huh?) runs at more of an angle to the knee rather than straight up and down as in men or apple shaped women. Well, this is certainly true for me as I am the queen of hips and thighs!!:p
Scallywags - Hello to a fellow forrester!
Ceri - I do like the look of Icelandics and had wondered about visiting the Oakfield Icelandic show 17/18 May as it is not far from me but can't find any detals about it. If you know anything about it would appreciate info. Think Iceys look adorable but can't get past the thought of having thicker ankles than my pony's!!
 
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If you are interested in Icelandic ponies, there is a yard just North of Salisbury where you would be able to see them, have a ride if you wanted.

The other breed that is supposed to be good for people with certain problems/conditions are Paso Finos (sp?) - a family friend has MS and finds the gaited paces so comfortable.

As far as exercises for legs go - I found any repetative exercise just made my problem even worse, I cant even do minor quad contractions without causing inflamation, but I have found swimming and gentle cycling to be helpful.

Good luck. :D
 
From experience, and unfortunate experience at that, I agree with scallywags that most 'regular' or 'routine' repetitive exercises do more harm than good.

One of the best investments I ever made was in about 1989, when, frustrated by the deterioration in my knee, I paid for a total of - I think - three or four visits to a private sports rehabilitation physio. After intensive questioning about my then-current limits and my desires and needs in the field of physical activity, and concentrated review of my X-rays and a discussion with my orthopaedic surgeon, she devised a series of exercises for me which minimised stresses on the joint while developing the muscles which supported it.

She thought outside the box and was interested enough to contact me some considerable time later to ask about the long-term success or otherwise of the exercises she had given me. And it was not enormously expensive, either.
 
Since you have got a lot of good advice already, I was just going to add that cycling can help with certain kinds of knee problems but its really important to get a bike with a good range of low gears and use them.
I agree with Ceri that Icelandics lessen the strain. Doing a medium pace tolt doesnt seem to put stress on knees, back or other parts of the body whereas a rising trot does.
 
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