Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome: Symptoms and Treatment

Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (hereafter referred to as PFS) has many causes and can really be a hassle to deal with if you don’t recognize the symptoms early.

Your Guide to Knee Braces

One of the most annoying things about having knee pain (aside from the pain itself, of course) is trying to figure out which of the 9 million kinds of braces you should get. Alright, so maybe it only feels like there are that many types of knee braces. The majority of knee braces fall under one of 4 categories: knee sleeves, lateral stabilizers, hinged braces, and patellar tendon straps. Learn what distinguishes these categories from each other, why you’d want to use any of these types of braces, and how to ensure that you’re wearing the brace correctly.

Warm-up Before You Stretch

Most people know that you should warm-up before physical activity. But what you might not know is why. Keeping in mind that using a heating pad is not a substitute for warming up, a proper warm-up does not have to take very long or use much space or equipment for most performers, especially dancers. Dance classes are designed to start out with a warm-up-like component and gradually increase in difficulty as the class progresses. However, time and space are often limited in dance class, so dancers may not be able to perform a complete warm-up solely by taking class. Taking yourself through your own personal warm-up routine allows you to make sure that you’re ready to start physical activity, regardless of what that activity is and where you are.

Causes of Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome

The knee joint is actually a combination of two joints: the tibiofemoral joint (the hinge joint that most people think of when talking about the knee joint) and the patellofemoral joint (which isn’t so much a joint as it is a place where bones slide past each other). This article is going to focus only on the patellofemoral joint. This term describes the gliding articulation of the patella (kneecap) with the trochlear groove of the femur (thigh bone).

The patella glides up and down in the groove in the femur during knee flexion and extension. This groove helps facilitate keeping the patella lined up with the midline of the leg.