- I have just started with a new client, a lady in her late 50ies. During her initial assessment, she mentioned that she experiences pain in her right knee only while walking. She said that the pain starts about within
15 minutes into her walk. The pain is only located directly under her
kneecap fanning out half-circular from medial to lateral side of
kneecap. She is very tall about 5’11" and slender. ROM revealed tight
hamstrings and tight internal rotation on her right leg. Could that be the cause? I tried to observe her gait but might not have the trained eye yet to find any discrepancy in her body mechanics. I wonder if she moves her right leg in such a way that her hip, knee and foot are no longer in alignment. While in a yoga class, she has no knee issues. Can you please give me some suggestions and point me in the right direction?
- When you do an assessment I need to know the ROM findings in degrees and also a list of what muscles were weak and your subjective level of their weakness.
I suspect this situation is due to chondromalacia. This is a softening of the articular cartilage inside the knee joint, and usually involves the knee cap (according to Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary). Though an accurate diagnosis can only be made by osteopath or physiatrist (MD of physical medicine). The best would be to see a specialist and perhaps consider taking glucosamine and chondroitin after consulting a good nutritional therapist. Good yoga can help but not likely to be therapeutic by itself.