Chondromalacia Patellae

The kneecap (patella) connects all the muscles in the thigh to the lower leg (tibia). When you bend your knee, the patella slides up and down along the front of your knee. Your upper leg (femur) has a U-shaped groove (patello-femoral groove or sulcus) to accommodate the moving patella. The patella along with the mucles of your thigh enables you to straighten your leg out.

Several problems can affect the patella. These include a condition called chondromalacia patellae in which cartilage under the patella softens casing it to rub against the lower end of the femur instead of gliding smoothly across it. Bone misalignment or muscle imbalance can also cause problems. The thigh muscle (quadriceps) controls knee motion and keeps the patella on track in the patello-femoral groove. If the patella is not aligned correctly on the femur, the quadriceps muscle is imbalanced which may cause the patella to be pulled to one side as it moves along the patello-femoral groove. This will eventually cause damage to the cartilage.

Although patella problems can affect people of any age, chondromalacia patellae occurs most often in young adults.