Patellar Tracking | What it means & what may help

Do your knee caps shift when you bend them? Have you been told you have Patellar Tracking Syndrome? This episode is for you! learn what it means and what you can do to help with it!
0:00 - Intro
1:40 - Fear
1:34 - Jen's Experience
5:09 - Is your cartilage causing pain
8:31 - Exercises
9:44 - Pulling knee back into place
11:21 - Movement
12:56 - Load
13:16 - Assessment
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[@alial-khalaf387]

Thank you so much guys for this incredible video. I’ve been dealing with this knee problem for like 4 months. I really appreciate your effort for making this video and trying to help others. Continue in this great path, and wish you all the best.

[@docjenfit]

Wow, thanks so much for the feedback!

[@meldane9847]

Thanks for the information My knees have been hurting as I joined the gym a few months back I will try all the variations you suggested Love working out but my pain levels are high right in the front of both knees when doing squats So I am grateful for this advice 😊

[@docjenfit]

We are definitely familiar with that kind of knee pain. Here are some short exercises that may help! kzbin.info/www/bejne/nYKumY2OnrVsY68 kzbin.info/www/bejne/jIbTlZSpq9d3r9E kzbin.info/www/bejne/iJjbq4qZmLarqqs You're also welcome to check out my knee physical therapy plan & get your first week free! jen.health/freetrial

[@gordontan514]

I really appreciate the insights in the podcast, may I know if the following thought is correct: so vmo activation and strengthening won’t actually solve the maltracking in static and functional position ? If my laterally shifted patella does not cause any pain in movement, so basically I won’t need to address the maltracking issue ?

[@docjenfit]

That is essentially correct! It is just always good to look at the joint as a whole. How is the control at the knees during certain movements or in certain positions. Focus on overall control, mobility, and strength about the knees and you should be fine!

[@dawncarter7963]

My left knee has maltracking and 8 mm subluxation. My physical therapist has me do lateral step ups but when I go to lower down my left knee (the one that stays on the step) I will get pain in it and the farther I try to go down it feels like my knee is gonna dislocate. My physical therapist said to push past the pain but I am scared to bend my down any farther than what I do because I don't want my knee to dislocated it feels like it is going to do that.

[@joshhazel742]

So much bs on the web, took me a whole year to figure all this out. Wish I would have came across this earlier, great video!!

[@docjenfit]

I'm happy you found it now! Thank you for taking the time to watch!

[@user-zv4xi4np6q]

Hey guys, great informative video. I've had MRI scans recently which have shown I have chondromalacia patella under the knee cap and a tilting patella and flat feet which are causing pain to the lateral side of the knee (where bones meet). The advice I've had from my physio is to strengthen the VMO (quad) muscle, hip, and glutes and loosen the IT band. This has definitely helped with strengthening the knee as the knee now doesn't feel like it's going to give way but I still have the lateral knee discomfort (which seems like bone grinding) when I start to walk and mainly when the knee is extending when walking. Are there any tips or videos of exercises I should be doing to help alleviate the discomfort when walking?

[@docjenfit]

Hi Prashant! Glad the strengthening you have been doing has been seeming to help! It sounds like this might be something that you might want to start looking at your feet for. Are the feet operating how they should to support through the walking motion and through any activities and exercises you do to support up through the knee. We have some videos that can help with flat foot exercises: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rJOmp4JqfNaeqck. It can also be helpful to look at your hip mobility. If we are restricted in hip rotation or hip extension, we can also compensate through our knees.

[@user-zv4xi4np6q]

@@docjenfit Thank you so much for replying. The feet are something I have recently started looking at with my physiotherapist. I'm finding simple things like walking and grabbing the ground with my toes are creating strength so I have more arch support when walking. I will definitely incorporate the exercises on the video link you shared into my gym routine workouts. Appreciate the support. Keep up the great channel :)

[@dazzlingpumppouches]

I have a similar story as yours with same issues. The pain is horrible after a few minutes of walking. It’s not bad in the morning but as the day goes on it acts up. I really wish I can figure out how to stop this pain. Mine pain starts where the quads and knee meet. My therapist massages that area and the vastus lasteralis as it keeps going tight.

[@nickfranco7977]

Great discussion! I started at the foot & ankle, tib, calves, knee joint itself, quads lengthening/strengthening, hamstrings, glutes, all 6 ranges of the hip and my knees will hurt being on my feet for too long.... any suggestions? MRI shows nothing significant.

[@docjenfit]

Hmm hard to say specifically. Might be good to try seeing a PT in person to get a more thorough assessment.

[@dazzlingpumppouches]

Hi Jen l o o o ve your videos. I had knee replacement 5 months ago but due to overuse of nonsurgical leg I had a very tight vastus lateralis muscle on top and on side of knee which therapist would massage. Also felt like my knee cap gliding out of place when going upstairs. I finally got an mri and says I have mild patella Alta and extensor tttendinosis. Question what is the safest way to go up the stairs so it wouldn’t feel like it’s gliding in a weird position. I’m still recovering from right knee replacement so that’s been difficult as it also hurts at times t going up the steps with the surgical leg. I’m still working on that

[@docjenfit]

Hi there! Thanks so much for the kind comment. A great place to start would be this video about knee pain with stairs: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h4CqgXaGprulm80 A lot of what we want to focus on is regaining strength and control in that knee. Sometimes, how you position your trunk, pitching it forward instead of upright, when you go upstairs or down stairs can keep your knee in a more safe and stable place. Ultimately though, as you continue to grow the strength in the muscles around the knee, you should start to feel more safety and stability in the knee joint. We have some great strength building programs on Jen Health. You can check out a free week of our Full Body Low Impact Plan to work on safely building strength. Also use code OPTIMAL at checkout to get an extra discount on your first month! jen.health/freetrial

[@blackjackool]

I had an ACL and meniscus surgery 8 months ago. I noticed a crunching sound when bending my knee fully when I got back to the gym recently. My ortho has diagnosed me with patellar tracking disorder and recommended physio. I am not fully convinced about that. What do you suggest I should do? I want to be able to lift weights again.

[@docjenfit]

Thanks for sharing! It's tough for us to be able to give specific suggestions because we don't have full information on your knee and can't do any sort of in depth assessment. I'd recommend trying to see someone in person. Often after extensive knee surgery, we will hear crepitus (crunching or cracking sounds). This might never fully go away, but you can definitely make difference based on your training of the knee. Sometimes it can take even more than a year to feel like you have rehabbed that knee to get back to your most desired activities.

[@DBRising]

Any guidance on medial patellar chondrosis? MRI shows tendon and ligament structures intact with no abnormal signal. Most PT based data addresses lateral issues.

[@docjenfit]

In a lot of cases, working on ankle and hip mobility can be very beneficial to see if there are contributing restrictions there. Outside of that, continuing to strengthen the muscles across the knee will help to protect overall from pain!

[@jackiealv6547]

After having knee pain that comes with an awful clicking sound when bending it for over a month now, I just got the news this morning that I have patella subluxation, condromalacia patella , MCL sprained and effusion , all together . I love working out and not being able to do so is depressing . The ortho nurse practitioner wanted to inject my knee but I told him i want to try PT first. My concern is: will my knee every go back to normal ? Or will I have to learn to live with this problem ? Even going upstairs is painful and the clicking sound is scary .

[@docjenfit]

There is a ton that can be done through movement and strengthening the muscles around the joint as well as improving mobility in your hips and ankles. As we work on the underlying restrictions that contribute to why these issues developed, you can definitely feel improvement. I would definitely recommend getting with your PT and being very forward with them about the exercise and activity you want to get back to!

[@jackiealv6547]

@@docjenfit thanks a lot . I had my first PT yesterday but unfortunately the damage of the cartilage is not reversible. The strengthening exercises will help reduce the pain but that’s it . They can’t tell for sure if the clicking sound will ever go away . Many thanks

[@kimedgington6276]

How would you recommend squating with squinting patella?

[@docjenfit]

A lot depends on your specific body! Here is a video that can help you work through squatting mobility: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hHiZeHmVh7GLa68

[@user-wy9ep8xq2c]

Im looking for a good brace for patella alta. Any ideas?

[@docjenfit]

Not something we are super familiar with! I would recommend working a lot on hip control and building strength across the knee!

[@hmortensen5235]

Question: why must you add background music? Is it to make it even more difficult for the hearing impaired to follow the conversation??

[@docjenfit]

Thank you for your feedback :) We've changed things up on our newer episodes.

[@alanfriedman5037]

So it’s not a structural/surgical issue?

[@docjenfit]

Structural issues can definitely benefit from movement and strengthening, but surgical issues should be discussed with your practitioner.

[@violetgodwin677]

Have you seen anyone’s patella go back to tracking properly?

[@docjenfit]

I guess it isn't as much about the tracking as it is about the symptoms. And I have definitely seen people who have resolved all pain issues having to deal with patellar tracking!