What can I do to build up cartilage in my knee?!
Question: What can I do to build up cartilage in my knee!?
I used to have a problem with my kneecaps dislocating when I was a freshmen in high school!. They do not dislocate anymore, but now my knees hurt because of the little cartilage that I have for cushion!. I don't want medication, but I heard somewhere that there is a supplement that people can take to build up cartilage in the knees!. Does anyone know!? Or something else that I can do right now besides surgery and medication!?Www@Answer-Health@Com
Answers:
Hi there,
I was just diagnosed with Patellofemoral Syndrome with Chondromalacia Patella(which includes damaged cartilage)!. I was given a pamphlet on common knee problems by my knee specialist and here it says about "cartilage damage":
*Sometimes the cartilage on the back of the kneecap or in the groove of the thighbone is damaged!. Damaged cartilage can't spread pressure evenly!. Uneven pressure wears down the cartilage even further!. This often leads to pain and stiffness!. And, since the cartilage has little blood supply, it has a limited ability to heal!.
(The article goes on to say):
*When the kneecap gets "off track" -
An injury can cause some muscles or ligaments to pull to hard or not hard enough!. When that happens, the kneecap no longer glides easily against the thighbone!. Pressure may be spread unevenly on the back of the kneecap, causing wear and tear on the cartilage!.
*Viscosupplementation is an injection for the knee that helps to lubricate the joint, thus lessening friction and pain!.
*For ACI, (autologous chondrocyte implantation ) the knee surface is repaired with cartilage grown from a patient's own healthy tissue!. Each of the reviewed procedures has strengths and weaknesses that make it appropriate for some patients and not others!.
This is the only thing I have found about any kind of "supplement" for the knee!. The latter suggestion is invasive, but when you weigh the options, this sounds like it might help quite a bit!.
Sorry I couldn't give you advice on anything beside surgery, but look over these knee links and I bet you will find what you are looking for in relation to other ideas that appeal to you!.
One thing you should look into is strengthening your thigh muscles to build up more muscle by doing quads and stretches like knee flexion, stretch ing calf muscles and hamstrings!. When you build up muscle in the thigh it helps to keep the kneecap in place so it can glide easily in its track and the pressure will be spread evenly on the back of the kneecap!. Thus resultiong in less cartilage deterioration!.
Good luck, hope at least some of this helps!Www@Answer-Health@Com
I was just diagnosed with Patellofemoral Syndrome with Chondromalacia Patella(which includes damaged cartilage)!. I was given a pamphlet on common knee problems by my knee specialist and here it says about "cartilage damage":
*Sometimes the cartilage on the back of the kneecap or in the groove of the thighbone is damaged!. Damaged cartilage can't spread pressure evenly!. Uneven pressure wears down the cartilage even further!. This often leads to pain and stiffness!. And, since the cartilage has little blood supply, it has a limited ability to heal!.
(The article goes on to say):
*When the kneecap gets "off track" -
An injury can cause some muscles or ligaments to pull to hard or not hard enough!. When that happens, the kneecap no longer glides easily against the thighbone!. Pressure may be spread unevenly on the back of the kneecap, causing wear and tear on the cartilage!.
*Viscosupplementation is an injection for the knee that helps to lubricate the joint, thus lessening friction and pain!.
*For ACI, (autologous chondrocyte implantation ) the knee surface is repaired with cartilage grown from a patient's own healthy tissue!. Each of the reviewed procedures has strengths and weaknesses that make it appropriate for some patients and not others!.
This is the only thing I have found about any kind of "supplement" for the knee!. The latter suggestion is invasive, but when you weigh the options, this sounds like it might help quite a bit!.
Sorry I couldn't give you advice on anything beside surgery, but look over these knee links and I bet you will find what you are looking for in relation to other ideas that appeal to you!.
One thing you should look into is strengthening your thigh muscles to build up more muscle by doing quads and stretches like knee flexion, stretch ing calf muscles and hamstrings!. When you build up muscle in the thigh it helps to keep the kneecap in place so it can glide easily in its track and the pressure will be spread evenly on the back of the kneecap!. Thus resultiong in less cartilage deterioration!.
Good luck, hope at least some of this helps!Www@Answer-Health@Com
How do you know how much cartilage is left in the knees!? If this is a guess on your part then it is a bad one unless you are in your forties or so!. It would be most unusual for someone in their teens to have eroded that much cartilage!. What are your symptoms!? Have you been referred to physical therapy!? What kind of exercise are you doing!? I would recommend that you try walking in water or if you are truly that young running in deep water!. Isometrics for the knee would also help!. From a supplement standpoint try glucosime and chondrotin formulations!. The only other thing that would be left to you would be Synvic injections which are an artificial cartilage!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
you could try injections called Prolotherapy!. it is a sugar solution injected into the ligaments (i believe)!. basically, it tricks the body into thinking that there is an injury!. It inflames, and tells the body to create collagen to strengthen whatever it was injected into!. i dont know if this is just for ligaments or if it can be used in other ways!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
I Have The Same Problem But I Am Younger Than You Please Help Us Do U Wear A Knee Brace!?!?!?!? I Ice It Then But A Brace On It!. Both Of My Knees Were Dislocated It HurtsWww@Answer-Health@Com