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Dr. Harner describes the most common patellofemoral joint condition.
Dr. Harner:
Well, the most common condition we see in the patellofemoral joint is damage to the articular cartilage. That’s the coating cartilage, and that occurs usually over time, but it can occur also from a traumatic injury as well; either one can lead to damage of the articular cartilage. And what we do in that setting is, we initially start with physical therapy again and look to improve range of motion. Also, flexibility is very important.
A lot of these patients have very tight hamstrings and it’s important that they undergo flexibility to stretch their hamstrings out, as well as rehabilitate their quadricep muscle, the muscle in front on their thigh. Those are the common non-operative treatments that we do.
About Dr. Harner, M.D.:
Dr. Christopher D. Harner, M.D., is a Blue Cross of Western Pennsylvania Professor, the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Medical Director, and works in the UPMC Center for Sports Medicine and the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery.
Visit Dr. Harner at the UPMC Center for Sports Medicine